Political families in Indonesian public office: who holds what, and what courts found

Several of Indonesia's most powerful offices are held by people whose parents, siblings or in-laws held power before them or hold it now. A former president's son became vice president, a former president's daughter leads the House of Representatives, and a former president's eldest son is a coordinating minister.

This analysis sets out documented family ties among people in public office, with their posts and dates, drawn from the relationships recorded on NewsWLD's intelligence map and the reporting cited for each. Where a court has ruled on a family member, the verdict is given. A family connection is not evidence of wrongdoing, and nothing here suggests that anyone named holds office improperly. Most of the people listed have no court record at all.

Joko Widodo's family

Joko Widodo was president from 2014 to October 2024. Before politics he founded a furniture company in Surakarta, Rakabu, in the late 1980s, The Jakarta Post reported.

His eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, a former mayor of Surakarta, was sworn in as vice president in October 2024, Kontan reported. He resigned on 12 November 2026, as NewsWLD reported. Two rulings preceded the resignation. On 6 October 2026 the Constitutional Court said it found no convincing evidence that he holds a senior high school diploma or equivalent, but ruled that it could not disqualify him, Detik reported. In ruling No. 742 K/TUN/2026, reported on 30 October, the Supreme Court voided the 2019 certificate recognising his high school equivalence, which had been used in his 2024 candidacy, Kumparan reported. Neither was a criminal ruling against him.

Jokowi's son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, married his daughter Kahiyang Ayu in November 2017, according to the Cabinet Secretariat. He was mayor of Medan for the 2021 to 2024 term and became governor of North Sumatra in February 2025, Antara reported. His youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, has chaired the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) since September 2023 and was re-elected for 2025 to 2030.

In December 2024 the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) dismissed Jokowi, Gibran and Bobby by separate party decrees, CNN Indonesia reported. Jokowi said in September 2026 that he had been a PSI member since 14 October 2025, Kontan reported.

One relative by marriage sits on the bench. Constitutional Court justice Anwar Usman, Gibran's uncle by marriage, was removed as chief justice in November 2023 by the court's ethics council, which found a serious ethics breach over the ruling on the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates. He remains a justice, Hukumonline reported.

Prabowo Subianto and the Djojohadikusumo family

President Prabowo Subianto, in office since October 2024 and chairman of Gerindra, is the son of the economist Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, who served as a minister under Sukarno and Soeharto.

His younger brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, founded the Arsari Group, whose interests include tin mining, according to Bisnis. Hashim's son Aryo Djojohadikusumo is a commissioner in the group. Prabowo's niece Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo is a Gerindra member of the House for Jakarta III for 2024 to 2029. She offered her resignation in 2025, but the House ethics council rejected it in October that year, Bisnis reported.

His nephew Thomas Djiwandono, son of former Bank Indonesia governor Soedradjad Djiwandono, was sworn in as deputy finance minister by Jokowi in July 2024 and served until February 2026, when he became a deputy governor of Bank Indonesia for 2026 to 2031, Bisnis and Antara reported.

Prabowo's former wife, Titiek Soeharto, is a daughter of former president Soeharto, a Gerindra member and chair of House Commission IV, which covers agriculture, forestry and marine affairs, for 2024 to 2029. Their only son, Didit Hediprasetyo, is a Paris-based fashion designer and holds no public office. Titiek's younger brother, Tommy Soeharto, was sentenced in 2002 by the Central Jakarta District Court to 15 years for inducing the premeditated murder of Supreme Court justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita and for illegal weapons possession, Hukumonline reported.

Sukarno, Megawati and Puan

Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, is the father of Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was president from 2001 to 2004 and has led PDI-P since 1993. The party reconfirmed her as chairwoman for 2025 to 2030 at its August 2025 congress, Antara reported.

Her daughter, Puan Maharani, Sukarno's granddaughter, is Speaker of the House for 2024 to 2029, her second term and the first woman in the post, and chairs political affairs on the PDI-P central board. Megawati's son Prananda Prabowo chairs the creative and digital economy portfolio on the same board, CNN Indonesia reported. Our records contain no court verdicts against these family members.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, AHY and Ibas

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president from 2004 to 2014, chairs the Democratic Party's High Council for 2025 to 2030, Antara reported. His eldest son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, has chaired the party since 2020, was re-elected for 2025 to 2030 and has been Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development since October 2024. His youngest son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, known as Ibas, is a deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for 2024 to 2029, Investortrust reported. Our records contain no court verdicts against them.

Banten: Ratu Atut Chosiyah and her relatives

The Banten family is the case in our records where courts have convicted more than one relative.

Ratu Atut Chosiyah was governor of Banten from 2007 to 2014. The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced her in 2014 to 4 years for bribing then Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar, and the Supreme Court raised the sentence to 7 years in 2015, Kontan reported. In 2017 the same court gave her a further 5.5 years for corruption in the procurement of medical equipment in Banten, Detik reported.

Her younger brother, Tubagus Chaeri Wardana, known as Wawan, was sentenced in 2020 to 4 years for graft in medical equipment procurement in Banten and South Tangerang. The Jakarta High Court raised it to 7 years, and the Supreme Court set it at 5 years in 2021, CNN Indonesia reported.

Wawan's wife, Airin Rachmi Diany, was mayor of South Tangerang for two terms from 2011 to 2021 and was nominated by PDI-P and Golkar for governor of Banten in 2024, Kumparan reported. The post went to Gerindra's Andra Soni in February 2025. Atut's son, Andika Hazrumy, was deputy governor of Banten from 2017 to 2022. Our records contain no court verdicts against Airin or Andika.

The Yasin Limpo family

Syahrul Yasin Limpo, a former governor of South Sulawesi, was agriculture minister from October 2019 to October 2023. The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced him in July 2024 to 10 years for extortion and gratification at the ministry. The Jakarta High Court raised the sentence to 12 years, and in February 2025 the Supreme Court rejected his cassation, Kontan and Bisnis reported. His daughter, Indira Chunda Thita Syahrul, is a NasDem politician and former member of the House, Kontan reported. Our records contain no court verdict against her, and her father's conviction is not a finding about her.

Other family ties in public life

Family links also run through law enforcement, state investment and business groups close to politics.

• Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, in office since October 2019, is the younger brother of TB Hasanuddin, a PDI-P member of the House. Burhanuddin has denied being a party appointee, Hukumonline reported.
• Pandu Sjahrir, chief investment officer of the sovereign investment agency Danantara since February 2025, is a nephew of National Economic Council chair Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Metro TV reported.
• Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir is the younger brother of Garibaldi Thohir, president director of the Adaro coal group, according to The Jakarta Post and Kontan.
• Angela Tanoesoedibjo, a former deputy tourism minister, succeeded her father Hary Tanoesoedibjo as chair of the Perindo Party in 2024.
• Anindya Bakrie, eldest son of former Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie, has chaired the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) since January 2025.

Why it matters for voters

Family ties tell voters where influence may be concentrated. They do not show that anyone was appointed improperly or acted improperly, and in most of the cases above there is no court record. Where relatives in this survey were convicted, in Banten, in the Yasin Limpo family and in Tommy Soeharto's case, courts judged specific acts proven at trial, not family relationships.

What voters can do is look at each person's own record. Before the next election:

1. Open the profile. Each name above links to a NewsWLD profile listing offices, party roles, family ties and any court or ethics rulings, with the source for every entry.
2. Check the dates. A relative holding office at the same time, in the same region or in an institution that oversees the other is more relevant than a tie across decades.
3. Separate the person from the relative. A conviction belongs to the person convicted. Judge each candidate on their own decisions and record.
4. Use the directory. Our officials directory lets readers search current officials and see these connections in one place.