Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: President

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known by his initials SBY, won over voters in Indonesia's first democratic elections with his image as a man of integrity, a strong communicator and firm leader in times of crisis.

A strong image is seen as key Mr Yudhoyono is probably best known internationally for his leading role in Indonesia's fight against terrorism in the wake of the Bali bombing in 2002.

His speech on the anniversary of the attack was seen as one of the strongest delivered by any Indonesian leader on an issue which is still politically sensitive.

But critics say the former military commander is surprisingly indecisive, tending to consider all perspectives and opinions before making up his mind.

Budi Santoso, chairman of Mr Yudhoyono's Democrat party, agrees he is a thoughtful man, but says he is capable of making decisive moves when necessary. "For example, while other presidential candidates where still looking about for suitable running mates, Susilo had already chosen Jusuf Kalla as his vice president," Mr Santoso said.   I understand what [people] feel; I know their expectations

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,  The man dubbed "the thinking general" was born in 1949 in East Java. The son of a retired army lieutenant, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono graduated from Indonesia's military academy in 1973. Two years later Indonesian security forces invaded East Timor. As he rose through the ranks, Mr Yudhoyono completed several tours of duty in the territory. By the time of East Timor's violent transition to independence in 1999, he had been promoted to Chief of Territorial Affairs. As such he would have reported directly to Gen Wiranto, the former head of the armed forces who has now been indicted for war crimes by a special tribunal in East Timor. But there has never been any attempt to bring charges against Mr Yudhoyono. His supporters say he was not part of the inner circle of military commanders accused of allowing the violence to spread.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono never quite achieved the highest levels in the military to which he aspired. His four star General status was an honorary award given to him when he left the army to join the government of Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000. He started as minister for mines but was soon promoted to chief minister for security and political affairs.

A year later he found himself in conflict with his boss. Facing impeachment, President Wahid asked Mr Yudhoyono to declare a state of emergency. Mr Yudhoyono declined, and promptly lost his job. In March 2004, history repeated itself. Mr Yudhoyono, reappointed as senior political and security minister under President Megawati, stepped down after a very public spat with the president and her husband.

The decision to resign, according to Denny Ja, executive director of the Indonesian Survey Institute, has paid off handsomely. "Even though SBY was a senior member of a deeply unpopular government, he has come to be seen as a victim of that government rather than part of it," said Mr Ja. Being forced from office under successive presidents seems to have enhanced Mr Yudhoyono's reputation as a man of principle, willing to sacrifice his own ambitions for the values he believes in. That - and the fact he looks good on TV - could also have proved an important factor in his election win, according to Denny Ja. "You have to remember that 60% of the population only graduated from elementary school, so they don't investigate candidates too closely," Mr Ja said.

Jusuf Kalla: Vice President

Jusuf Kalla was best known as a successful businessman before entering his political career as member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) representing South Sulawesi province in 1982.

When Abdurrahman Wahid assumed presidency in 1999, Kalla was appointed as the minister of industry and trade but Wahid fired him in just a few months on suspicion of corruption. Megawati Soekarnoputri replaced Wahid who was impeached by an MPR season for incompetence in July 2001 and she appointed Kalla as coordinating minister for people's welfare.

In the Megawati cabinet, Kalla started to work closely with thethen top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to resolve sectarian conflicts in the eastern provinces of Maluku and CentralSulawesi.

Born on May 15, 1942 in the South Sulawesi town of Watampone, Kalla also is a senior member of now ruling party Golkar. He was among the five contenders when Golkar held an internal convention to select its presidential hopeful in April but suddenly withdrew his bid for realizing his slim chance against other strong Golkar men, chairman Akbar Tandjung and former military chief Wiranto.

He also announced he would become Susilo's running mate in the presidential election and resign from the Megawati cabinet. Susilo said separately he teamed up with Kalla whom he described as a respected political figure and with a similar vision of the country's future with his. Kalla responded by saying that he was committed to establish strong and honest government with Susilo.

Local news reports said Kalla's appointment would help Yudhoyono increase support from eastern provinces. The two soon became the most popular pair of presidential and vice presidential candidates in many opinion polls and came out asthe foremost frontrunners in the July 5 election. They won by a landslide in the runoff held on Sept. 20 facing Megawati and running mate Hasyim Muzadi.

Kalla obtained a bachelor degree from the faculty of economics at Hasanuddin University in South Sulawesi in 1967 and completed astudy at the European Institute of Business Administration in France in 1977. He was the second child of rich businessman Haji Kalla whose businesses ranging from automotive to telecommunications. He has nine brothers and sisters.

Kalla, who has successfully flourished his family business, hasvowed to develop the economy that favors small and medium enterprises and takes side to the poor. He promised to improve the real sector and launch reform in taxation, business and banking sectors.

Widodo Adisutjipto: Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs

Adisutjipto, a retired admiral and former Navy chief, served as Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) commander under former president Abdurrahman Wahid from October 1999 to July 2001.

Aburizal Bakrie: Coordinating Minister for the Economy

A prominent indigenous tycoon with a vast range of business interests, Bakrie is the former chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). Earlier this year he ran unsuccessfully in a convention to become Golkar Party’s candidate for the presidential election.

Alwi Shihab: Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare

A moderate Islamic scholar who promotes tolerance, Shihab served as foreign minister under Wahid. He is presently chairman of Wahid’s National Awakening Party (PKB).

Mochtar Maruf: Home Affairs Minister

A retired lieutenant general, he served as the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of social-political affairs over 1995-96.

Hassan Wirajuda: Foreign Affairs Minister

Wirajuda held the same cabinet position under former president Megawati Sukarnoputri. A career diplomat, he was Indonesia’s permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organizations until July 2000. He subsequently served as director general for political affairs at the Foreign Ministry. He has also served as ambassador to Egypt.

Juwono Sudarsono: Defense Minister

A prominent military analyst and former ambassador to Britain, Juwono previously served as defense minister under Wahid. He is also a former deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas).

Hamid Awaluddin: Law and Human Rights Minister

Awaluddin is a member of the General Elections Commission (KPU). He headed the KPU’s division for the procurement of ballot papers, which critics claimed lacked transparency, raising suspicions of possible collusion and kickbacks.

Jusuf Anwar: Finance Minister

Anwar is the Asian Development Bank’s executive director for Indonesia. He has previously served as chairman of the Indonesia Capital Market Supervisory Board and secretary general of the Finance Ministry.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro: Energy and Mineral Resources Minister

Purnomo held the same position under Megawati and Wahid. The decision to re-appoint him means that Indonesia will keep the OPEC presidency until the end of this year.

Andung Nitimihardja: Industry Minister

Andung Nitimihardja is chief commissioner of state electricity company PLN. He is also a former executive of the State Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), where he served as deputy chairman for national business development.

Marie Pangestu: Trade Minister

A US-trained economist, Pangestu is a former executive director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Anton Apriyantono: Agriculture Minister

Apriyantono is a lecturer at the prestigious Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), which earlier this month awarded Yudhoyono a doctorate in agricultural sciences for his thesis on the development of rural areas and analysis of fiscal policies.

M.S. Kaban: Forestry Minister

Kaban is secretary general of the Islam-based Crescent Star Party (PBB) of Yusril Izha Mahendra. He is also chairman of parliament’s recently formed 20-member Democratic Pioneer Star faction. In the past he has said political demonstrations tarnish Indonesia’s reputation.

Hatta Rajasa: Transportation Minister

He served as research and technology minister under Megawati. He is a member of the National Mandate Party (PAN) of Amien Rais.

Freddy Numberi: Maritime and Fisheries Minister

A retired rear admiral, Numberi was the first Papuan to reach a senior rank in the armed forces. He is a former governor of Irian Jaya (now Papua) province and also served as administrative reforms minister under Wahid.

Fahmi Idris: Manpower and Transmigration Minister

A powerful member of Golkar Party, Idris served as manpower minister under former president B.J. Habibie. He was recently suspended from Golkar’s executive board for defying an order to support Megawati in last month’s presidential election. Several reports have wrongly stated that Idris served as manpower minister under Suharto.

Joko Kirmanto: Public Works Minister

Kirmanto served as director general for housing and settlement at the Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Ministry during the Wahid administration. Under the Megawati administration he became secretary general of the ministry.

Siti Fadilah Supari: Health Minister

A health professional, Supari is a doctor in cardiology.

Bambang Sudibyo: National Education Minister

Sudibyo, a professor of accounting, is a member of PAN and served as finance minister in the Wahid administration.

Bachtiar Chamsyah: Social Affiars Minister

Chamsyah is a member of the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP) of Hmazah Haz. He held the same cabinet position under Megawati.

Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni: Religious Affairs Minister

Basyuni is currently serving as Indonesian ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He served briefly as state secretary in Wahid’s short-lived final cabinet in June 2001. He was previously an ambassador to Kuwait and formerly head of the Presidential Household Staff under Suharto.

Jero Wacik: Tourism and Culture Minister

Wacik is a senior member of Yudhoyono’s Democrat Party, serving as head of the central board of directors.

Kusmayanto Kadiman: Research and Technology Minister

Kadiman is rector of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

Suryadharma Ali: Cooperatives and Small-Medium Enterprises Minister

Ali is a senior member of PPP and a strong supporter of Yudhoyono. As a legislator, he played a key role in the June 2001 impeachment of Wahid.

Rachmat Witoelar: Environment Minister

A former Indonesian ambassador to Russia, Witoelar has long been close to Yudhoyono and helped to orchestrate his rise to power.

Meuthia Farida Hatta-Swasono: Women’s Empowerment Minister

Hatta-Swasono is a lecturer in postgraduate studies at the University of Indonesia and the daughter of Indonesia’s first vice president Muhammad Hatta. She is also a member of the nationalist Justice and Unity Party (PKP).

Taufik Effendi: State Apparatus Efficiency Minister

Effendi is deputy chairman of the Democrat Party and a former consulate general in Toronto.

Syaifullah Yusuf: Minister for the Acceleration of Development in Less-Developed Regions

Yusuf is a nephew of Wahid. He was once a member of Megawati’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) but is now secretary general of PKB.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati: National Development Planning Minister

A US-trained economist, she spent a year with the International Monetary Fund, where was in charge of Southeast Asian affairs.

Sugiharto: State Enterprises Minister

Sugiharto is chief financial officer of oil and gas company Medco Energi Internasional. He was born in the North Sumatra capital of Medan on April 20, 1955. He joined Medco Group in 1991. He received his MBA degree from the Indonesian School of Management in Jakarta in 1993 and also studied at the Amsterdam School of Management in the Netherlands in 1997.

Sofyan Djalil: Information and Communication Minister

Djalil served as a deputy minister of state enterprises under Wahid. This year he was a member of Yudhoyono’s campaign team. He presently runs a consulting firm, Sofyan Djalil and Partners, which specializes in corporate governance and communication.

Adhyaksa Dault: Youth Affairs and Sports Minister

Dault is a former chairman of the National Indonesian Youth Committee (KNPI). He is also the former head of a youth group called Garda Muda Merah Putih (Red and White Youth Defenders), which was formed by former military commander Wiranto.

Muhammad Yusuf Ashari: People’s Housing Minister

Ashari is a member of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Abdul Rahman Saleh: Attorney General

A Supreme Court judge, Saleh hit the headlines in February 2004 when he was on a panel of five judges that overturned Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tanjung’s corruption conviction. After the ruling, Saleh read out a lengthy dissenting decision, saying Tanjung had engaged in "corrupt practice" and was guilty of "shameful conduct because he failed to show minimal appropriate efforts to protect state money”.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra: State Secretary/Minister

Yusril is chairman of the Islam-based PBB. He served as justice and human rights minister under Megawati and Wahid. He is also a former speechwriter of Suharto. Earlier this year he complained that his official salary is too small. Under his leadership, the Justice Ministry has proposed the criminalization of sorcery, sex outside of marriage, oral sex and anal sex. Yusril was also at the forefront of efforts to make Western tourists to pay for visas to enter Indonesia. His PBB wants Indonesia to adopt Islamic law.

Sudi Silalahi: Cabinet Secretary

Silalahi, a retired three-star lieutenant general and former East Java Military Command chief, previously served as secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs. He played a key role Yudhoyono’s rise to power. Their friendship dates back more than 30 years when they were military cadets