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Megawati Sukarnoputri[meg´´uwA´tE sookAr´´nOpOO´trE] Pronunciation Key, 1947–, Indonesian political leader, president of Indonesia (2001–). The daughter of former president Sukarno, she is seen by many as her father's political heir. Megawati entered politics in 1987 as a candidate of the Indonesian Democratic party (PDI) and served in parliament for 10 years. She was elected head of the PDI for a five-year term in 1993 but was removed in 1996, at which time she formed the Indonesia Democratic party of Struggle (PDI-P). Her party won a plurality in the 1999 parliamentary elections, and she ran unsuccessfully for president the same year; she was later chosen as vice president under Abdurrahman Wahid. Wahid encountered numerous problems as president of a resurgent democracy, and in mid-2000 he turned the administration of everyday operations over to her. When the parliament voted the following year to remove Wahid from office, she was chosen as president.
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