The Indonesian dictator who stepped down in 1998 after 32 years in power was Suharto. He resigned as president on 21 May 1998, ending the authoritarian “New Order” regime that had dominated Indonesia for more than three decades.
Suharto came to power after the political turmoil surrounding President Sukarno in the mid-1960s and formally became president in 1967. His government brought periods of economic growth and political stability, but it also relied on military influence, restrictions on dissent, corruption, and serious human-rights abuses.
His downfall accelerated during the Asian financial crisis of 1997–98. The collapse of Indonesia’s currency, rising prices, mass protests, student demonstrations, and declining support among political and military elites made his position untenable. Vice President B. J. Habibie succeeded him. The resignation opened Indonesia’s reform era, known as Reformasi, which led to major political and democratic changes.