The 2001 Special Session was held with the agenda of dismissing Abdurrahman Wahid after various conflicts with the parliament.[1][2] This action was preceded by the issuance of the first memorandum on 1 February 2001. Then followed by a second note on April 30, 2001, accompanied by a request from the DPR to the MPR for a special session to be held.[3]
Abdurrahman Wahid responded to this effort by issuing a decree declaring the dissolution of the MPR/DPR, setting up elections within a year, and the suspension of the Golkar Party. But in the end he didn't get any support and the MPR approved the dismissal of Abdurrahman Wahid as president. He was replaced by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri through a Special Session on 23 July 2001.[a][4]
Impeachment
On 23 July 2001, 15:00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7), the MPR held a plenary meeting to vote the impeachment of Wahid, there were factions from F-KB and F-PDKB that attended the meeting. The result of the vote was 591 votes in favor of dismissing President Abdurrahman Wahid as well as appointing Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri as the replacement president.[5]
As a response to Abdurrahman Wahid's Decree, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) held a special session to impeach Wahid on 23 July 2001, which turns out to be successful. The Assembly subsequently swore in Vice President Megawati as the new president.[6] Megawati was the first woman to become president of Indonesia.
The MPR Special Session also scheduled the election of a vice president, which was vacant due to Megawati's ascension to the presidency. There were five candidates: Agum Gumelar, proposed by the F-PDU; Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, proposed by the F-KKI and 80 MPR members; Akbar Tandjung, proposed by the F-PG; Hamzah Haz, proposed by the F-PPP and the Reform Faction; and Siswono Yudo Husodo, proposed by 79 MPR members. The election took place at the 5th plenary session of the MPR on Wednesday, 26 July 2001.[7]
Because there were no candidates who met the requirements to be elected, that is, out of half the number of legislative members present, a third round of elections was held. In this third round, Hamzah Haz was elected vice president after winning 340 votes out of 610 total votes. Meanwhile, Akbar Tandjung received 237 votes, leaving only 4 invalid votes and 29 abstentions.[8][9]
On 22 August 2021, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD made a statement on Abdurrahman Wahid's impeachment. On the Nahdlatul Ulama's YouTube channel, he stated that Wahid's impeachment was an unconstitutional and unlawful action.[10] Mahfud MD stated that the impeachment of Gus Dur in 2001 was not in accordance to the Resolutions of the People's Consultative Assembly (Ketetapan Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat) No. III of 1978 Regarding the Position and Work System of the Highest State Institution with/or State High Institutions.[11][12] Mahfud also expressed that the impeachment by the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly had different cases between memorandums I, II, and III.[13]
^In the Indonesian constitution, if a president was removed by force or death, the person that will replace the presidential position will be the vice president. In this case, Megawati was the vice president.
