This paper analyzes the newly institutionalized political system indemocratizing Indonesia, with particular reference to the presidentialsystem. Consensus has not yet been reached among scholars on whetherthe Indonesian president is strong or weak. This paper tries to answerthis question by analyzing the legislative and partisan powers of theIndonesian president. It must be acknowledged, however, that these twofunctions do not on their own explain the strengths and weaknesses of thepresident. This paper suggests that in order to fully understand thepresidential system in Indonesia, we need to take into account not just thepresident\u27s legislative and partisan powers, but also the legislative processand the characteristics of coalition government
