Puan Maharani

Puan Maharani

Puan Maharani Nakshatra Kusyala Devi is an Indonesian politician. She is the current speaker of the People’s Representative Council, Indonesia’s lower house. She previously served as the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs between 2014 and 2019.

About Puan Maharani in brief

Summary Puan MaharaniPuan Maharani Nakshatra Kusyala Devi is an Indonesian politician. She is the current speaker of the People’s Representative Council, Indonesia’s lower house. She previously served as the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs between 2014 and 2019. Maharani is the youngest child and the only daughter of former president and current PDI-P leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, and a granddaughter of Indonesia’s founding president Sukarno. Her father, Taufiq Kiemas, served as speaker of People’s Consultative Assembly from 2009 until his death in 2013. Puan is married to businessman Hapsoro ‘Happy’ Sukmonohadi and they have two children.

She was first elected to the DPR in 2009. She served as head of her party’s faction from 2012 until her selection as minister in 2014. She has also indicated she may run for the presidency in 2024, becoming the first female Speaker of the body for the 2019-2024 period. Her replacement in parliament, Alfia Reziani, was only sworn in by 2016. She was the only female coordinating minister to survive two cabinet reshuffles in Joko Widodo’s first term, prompting the media to describe her as “untouchable” She was appointed as Speaker on 1 October 2018, becoming first woman to hold the position.