President Sukarno's 1959 Decree

Presidential Decree of July 5, 1959
President Sukarno, partly obscured, at top of steps, reading the decree
Date5 July 1959; 65 years ago (1959-07-05)
LocationMerdeka Palace,
Jakarta
ParticipantsSukarno
(1st President of Indonesia)
Outcome
Dissolution of the Liberal democracy government

The Presidential Decree of 5 July 1959 (legally the Decree of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Number 150 of 1959 on the Return to the Constitution of 1945, Indonesian: Keputusan Presiden Republik Indonesia Nomor 150 Tahun 1959 Tentang Kembali kepada Undang-Undang Dasar 1945) was issued by President Sukarno in the face of the inability of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia to achieve the two-thirds majority to reimpose the 1945 Constitution. It was army chief of staff Abdul Haris Nasution who concluded that this would be the only way to bring about the reintroduction of a constitution that paved the way for the military to play a greater role in the running of the state, ushering in the period known as the "guided democracy" (1959–1966).