Fall of Suharto

Fall of Suharto
Fall of Suharto
Part of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the Post-Suharto era in Indonesia
	Clockwise, from top: Indonesian president Suharto presenting his resignation from office; Rioters burning office furniture on the streets of Jakarta; Students occupying the MPR/DPR building; Trisakti University students and police forces clashing;
Date	21 May 1998
Location	Indonesia
Resulted in	Fall of the New Order Resignation of Suharto as president; The inauguration of B. J. Habibie as Suharto's successor; Creation of the Development Reform Cabinet; Independence referendum for East Timor on 30 August 1999;
Lead figures
	Suharto; Feisal Tanjung; Wiranto; Prabowo Subianto; Various other pro-Suharto politicians and generals; Amien Rais; Megawati Sukarnoputri; Harmoko; Student leaders and other opposition politicians;

The fall of Suharto refers to the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto on 21 May 1998, ending his 32‑year authoritarian rule under the New Order regime following nationwide protests and severe economic collapse. His vice president, B. J. Habibie, assumed the presidency, launching a period of political reform known as Reformasi, which significantly transformed Indonesia's political institutions and ushered in democratic transition.

The fall of Suharto followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which triggered mass unrest and exposed rampant corruption under his administration. Student-led protests—sparked by events such as the July 1996 PDI office raid and the Trisakti shootings in May 1998—escalated into riots targeting the government and ethnic Chinese communities, particularly in Jakarta, Medan, and Surakarta.

The resignation precipitated the overthrow of the New Order's centralized power structure and began a Reformasi era characterized by institutional overhaul, increased civil liberties, and regional decentralization. Reforms included legal restructuring, electoral democracy and media liberalization. Indonesia's transition is frequently cited as a model of bottom-up democratic transformation in Southeast Asia.