Indonesia
President Prabowo Subianto (right) arrives to deliver his annual State of the Nation Address, ahead of the country's Independence Day celebrations, in Jakarta on August 14, 2026. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
Former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri were notably absent from the annual People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting on Friday, to hear President Prabowo Subianto deliver his second State of the Nation address as the country’s president.Yudhoyono, the patron of the pro-government Democratic Party, is overseas for medical check-ups, according to a senior Dems politician.
“He’s having a checkup in the United States,” the party deputy chair Benny K. Harman said on Tuesday, adding that the medical examination would extend until the end of August.
Earlier this week, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Yudhoyono was also unlikely to attend the upcoming Independence Day ceremony at the State Palace next Monday due to his overseas medical trip.
