Peaceful and Innovative Election in the 48th Congress of Muhammadiyah in Solo, Indonesia

Abstract

After two years of delay, Muhammadiyah successfully organized its 48th Muktamar or Congress in Surakarta, Central Java, on 18-20 November 2022. Muktamar is actually a five-yearly event and the previous congress, the 47th congress, was held in Makassar in 2015. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has made gathering of large number of people impossible, Muhammadiyah decided to extend the mandate of the chairmen and all its structure, at first, until 2021 and then extended again until 2022. Muhammadiyah had tried to have a virtual congress or hybrid and had developed technological device for that, but at the end the congress was organized fully offline.In this Congress, Haedar Nashir and Abdul Mu’ti were reelected again as chairman and secretary for 2022 to 2027, the second term for both of them at the helm of Muhammadiyah. They received the highest number of votes, number one and two, from 2519 representatives from all provinces and districts in Indonesia: 2203 for Nashir and 2159 for Mu’ti. It is actually not something automatic or mandatory that those who received the highest votes would be elected as the chairman. During the congress, this organization elected 13 leaders and they would have deliberation to decide the chairman, general secretary, and other position in the central leadership. If needed, they have also the right to add or appoint people outside the 13 elect to have certain position in the central leadership.