Indonesia's New President Announces Country's Largest-Ever Cabinet With 109 Members

Prabowo Subianto has been sworn in as the new president of Indonesia and has announced the country's largest cabinet. Subianto, a former military general, became the eighth president of Southeast Asia’s largest economy on Sunday. The country's new cabinet consists of 109 members.

The new cabinet is the largest since 1966, when Indonesia’s first President Sukarno formed a lineup of 132 ministers. The cabinet of Subianto’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, had 34 ministers and 30 vice ministers. According to Associated Press report, the cabinet consists of politicians from a coalition of seven parties who supported Subianto's victory in the February election and figures allied with Widodo’s Cabinet. 

Having failed twice to become president, Prabowo secured the post after winning over 58% of the vote in the elections. In the inaguration speech on Sunday that lasted almost an hour, the new president vowed to eradicate corruption and poverty and said he would be president for all Indonesians. At the same time, observers have reportedly raised concerns that an enlarged cabinet would be inefficient.