Jakarta. Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X had his term as Yogyakarta governor extended by another five years on Monday which will keep him in office for a total of 29 years.

Yogyakarta in southern Java Island has been granted a special autonomy status and led by a monarch since Indonesia’s independence in 1945.

Since the gubernatorial system was introduced in Yogyakarta in 1950, Sri Sultan, 76, has been only the third governor after his father Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX (1950-1988) and Paku Alam VIII (1988-1998).

The latest law on Yogyakarta’s special autonomy status issued in 2012 stipulates that the governor post is reserved to the Sultan and the vice governor post is awarded to the heirs of Paku Alam, who ruled a smaller split-off area of the ancient Javanese kingdom of Mataram.

The current Yogyakarta Vice Governor is Adipati Aryo Paku Alam X.

To keep the democratic system in check, Yogyakarta also has the Provincial Legislative Council, and both the governor and the vice governor report to the president.

“After this inauguration, the governor and the vice governor can immediately return to their works,” President Joko Widodo said after the swearing-in ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta.

 “Their most important task today has a lot to do with food prices and inflation that should become their focus.” 

The remaining 33 provinces will elect their governors across the country in 2024.