At the annual People’s Consultative Assembly plenary session on Friday, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani lamented the declining state of democracy in Indonesia in what appeared to be a jab at outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto has promised to continue the legacy of his predecessor President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo by hosting the Independence Day celebration next year in Nusantara.

Coordinator of President Jokowi's special aides Ari Dwipayana said in a press statement published on Saturday that the claim made by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto alleging that the President marshaled law enforcers to do his bidding was false and unsubstantiated.

The local election agency has set up seven posts across Jakarta to manage complaints from residents on the unauthorized use of their identity by independent pair Dharma Pongrekun and Kun Wardana in fulfilling the candidacy requirements.

Many Jakarta residents have been shocked to find their names were used without their consent to support candidate pair Dharma Pongrekun and Kun Wardana, who are running as independents in the upcoming gubernatorial race.

Saturday's ceremony was the first time for the annual national Independence Day ceremony to be held in two places simultaneously. 

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo suggests the creation of a cyber force as the fourth branch of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

In his final State of the Nation Address as the country's president, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo boasted of the achievements in his 10-year presidency, including the construction of transportation infrastructure and swift economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Puan, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, warns against the declining state of Indonesian democracy due to individuals acting more like politicians, who only think about the election, and less like statesmen who work for the nation's future.

In his speech, delivered in the annual People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in South Jakarta, Jokowi acknowledged that he and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin accepted responsibility for any mistakes that their administration had made.

The Nasdem party, which accounts for about 10 percent of the House, announced late on Thursday that it would support the incoming administration of Prabowo. 

Speaking alongside Prabowo after the meeting, Surya said this was not the moment for Anies to contest the November gubernatorial election and that he could always make the effort in the future.

The President arrived at the Senayan legislative complex in South Jakarta at 9 a.m. on Friday. He appeared to be wearing a black beskap (traditional tuxedo) with a chained ornament in his pocket, a black songkok (traditional male hat) and songket (woven fabric) wrapped around his waist.

The House invited several prominent politicians for Friday's address, including former presidents and vice presidents, cabinet ministers and political party leaders.

During the meeting, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asked Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executives for the latest updates on the Islamic group's feud with the National Awakening Party (PKB), but did not give any advice or express his position in the conflict, as claimed by NU chair Yahya Cholil Staquf.

NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh has given his strongest signal yet that his party is now considering calling off its early support for the reelection bid of popular former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and instead exploring the possibility of endorsing his already heavily favored potential rival: Ridwan Kamil.

Observers have speculated that she was referring to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is currently at the center of a controversy regarding the sudden resignation of Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto.

An administrative court has ruled in partial favor of a petition filed by former Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman regarding his demotion from the court’s top role, a decision that critics say sets a troubling precedent and could disrupt the functioning of the court.

Jokowi remains coy about the possibility of another cabinet shuffle before he steps down in October as rumors swirl around which ministers could be on their way out and who might replace them, though the President's Office has dismissed the notion of a shake-up, at least for the next two days.

Golkar's advisory board chair has said that Bahlil Lahadalia has emerged as the front-runner in the party's race to find a new chairman by garnering the support of its regional chap

While he is currently touted as the front-runner in November's Jakarta gubernatorial race, the former governor could find himself left out in the cold amid the continually shifting political alliances as parties look to back a surefire winner.

As the clock ticks ever closer to the October deadline for establishing a cyber privacy agency, a new hacking incident on a civil service database has allegedly posted millions of stolen data for sale on the dark web.

The Golkar Party has named Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, a close aide of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, its interim leader following the abrupt resignation of former chair Airlangga Hartarto, which threw the nation's oldest party into uncertainty ahead of regional elections in November.

The shortlist of KPK commissioner candidates includes controversial figures like incumbent commissioners Johanis Tanak and Nurul Ghufron, both of whom have faced ethics probes from the KPK Supervisory Board for alleged ethics violations.

Senior politician of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Djarot Syaiful Hidayat said that Megawati is scheduled to lead an event at the party's headquarters in South Jakarta on Independence Day.

Member of the Golkar executive board Meutya Hafid, who is also an aide to ousted chairman Airlangga Hartarto, said the decision to appoint an interim chairman would be left to the deputy chairmen, who she expected to convene for the decision.

The $32-billion megaproject Nusantara was widely expected to be inaugurated on August 17, the country's Independence Day, but building delays and funding woes have cast doubt on the schedule.

Two members of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s cabinet, one of whom is Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, have emerged as top contenders for the Golkar Party chairmanship following the sudden resignation of Airlangga Hartarto.

With just a little over two weeks to go until candidate registration opens, the PDI-P is racing to clinch political deals to prevent uncontested regional polls in November as other parties show signs of inching toward joining the ranks of Prabowo's KIM.

Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto has resigned at the peak of a political tussle ahead of the power transition from the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to the incoming government of Prabowo Subianto and the regional elections later this year.