Suharto (8 June 1921鈥?7 January 2008) was the second President of Indonesia; holding office for nearly 32 years; from 1967 until his resignation in 1998. In Indonesian literature and media; he is often referred as Pak Harto.

The son of Yogyakarta famers; Suharto joined the struggle for independence from the Dutch as a young man. Rising to the rank of major-general in the Indonesian army; Suharto helped lead an anti-Communist purge in 1965 that led to him and the military assuming a leading role in domestic affairs. When President Sukarno was removed from office on 12 March 1967; Suharto quickly assumed the presidency and cemented his leadership.

Suharto's legacy is controversial: his rule was often autocratic and; in later years; was punctuated by allegations of nepotism and corruption. However; supporters of his 鈥楴ew Order' administration say he managed a strong economic policy while centralizing power in what could have been a fractious Indonesian state; made up as it is of myriad islands; cultures and religions. As a staunch anti-Communist; Suharto was widely supported in the West and by his Southeast Asian neighbors.