Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – A total of 580 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and 152 members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for the 2024-2029 period will be sworn in on Tuesday at the parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has confirmed that Puan Maharani will continue as Speaker of the House of Representatives for the next five years. Puan, the daughter of PDI-P Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, made history five years ago as the first woman to serve in this role.
The 2019 law on the legislature grants the party with the most votes in the last election the right to the House speakership. Although this law can be amended by a majority vote, it currently favors PDI-P, which secured over 16 percent of the popular vote in the last election, maintaining its status as the largest party in the DPR, despite a decline from its previous 21 percent share.
Among those being sworn in today is 23-year-old Annisa Maharani Alzahra Mahesa, the youngest member of the DPR for the 2024-2029 period.
A member of the Gerindra Party representing Banten II, Annisa won 122,470 votes from approximately 7,542 polling stations, securing her seat in Senayan. She is the daughter of the late Gerindra politician Desmond Mahesa and earned the second-highest vote count in her electoral district, which includes the cities of Serang, Cilegon, and Serang Regency.
Of the 580 new lawmakers, 25 come from celebrity backgrounds, including actress Arzeti Bilbina from the National Awakening Party (PKB), singer Ashraff Abu from the Golkar Party, actor Dede Yusuf from the Democratic Party, former lead singer of Ungu Band Sigit "Pasha" Purnomo from the National Mandate Party (PAN), TV host Nico Siahaan, and comedian Denny Cagur from PDI-P.