- Title: FILE: Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid dies aged 69
- Date: 31st December 2009
- Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (FILE) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS SOME FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CAR CARRYING ABDURRAHMAN WAHID ARRIVES AT FORMER PRESIDENT SUHARTO'S HOUSE SUHARTO GREETS WAHID WAHID AND SUHARTO POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS WAHID AND SUHARTO TALKING JAKARTA, INDONESIA (FILE) (REUTERS) DANCERS ON STAGE WAHID WATCHING NEXT TO FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MEGAWATI SUKARNOPUTRI WAHID WALKING TOWARDS PODIUM AUDIENCE LISTENING WAHID TALKING ON PODIUM JAKARTA, INDONESIA (FILE) (REUTERS) WAHID EXERCISES AT PALACE WAHID EXERCISING AIDE WATCHING WAHID WALKING INSIDE PALACE JAKARTA, INDONESIA (FILE) (REUTERS) WAHID TALKING TO FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS WAHID TALKING WAHID TALKING TO JOURNALISTS WAHID'S HAND WAHID AND JOURNALISTS JAKARTA, INDONESIA (FILE) (REUTERS) WAHID TALKING AT MOSQUE WAHID TALKING PEOPLE LISTENING
- Embargoed: 15th January 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Obituaries,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAD5V2R29N3FQGPRUKHHRA1T00T
- Story Text: Indonesia's former President Abdurrahman Wahid died on Wednesday at the age of of 69.
Former Indonesian leaderAbdurrahman Wahid, who served as the country's fourth president between 1999 and 2001, died in hospital on Wednesday (December 30).
Wahid's aide told Reuters he passed away at 1840 (1140 GMT) and his family was with him at the time.
The head of the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital in cntral Jakarta said that his condition had been improving until Tuesday (December 29) but he was later transferred to intensive care after problems with his respiratory system and blood vessels.
Wahid, a jocular Muslim cleric usually known as Gus Dur, spent years in opposition to former president Suharto before taking office on a wave of optimism after the strongman leader was forced out.
He became the first Indonesian to win a contested presidential vote in October 1999, edging out Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of founding President Sukarno.
But when he assumed the highest office in the world's fourth most populous country he found it difficult to deal with the broken economy and an unstable and fragmented political system in need of a strong leader and good manager.
His presidency ultimately collapsed after he declared a state of emergency and he was replaced by Megawati.
He suffered several strokes and was nearly blind, but despite his fading health he remained an influential figure in politics.
Wahid was also a staunch defender of moderate Islam and secular politics and was the former leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, a Muslim group with some 40 million members. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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