Top state officials, including House of Representatives (DPR) Chairman Marzuki Alie, Chief of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Irman Gusman, Chief of the State Audit Board (BPK) Hadi Purnomo, Outgoing Chief of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD and a number of ministers also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Also present were First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and Herawati Boediono, the wife of Vice President Boediono.
Arief Hidayat who is a professor of the school of law at Diponegoro University (Undip) in Semarang was named a new Constitutional Court chief justice under presidential decree number 24 P 2013 signed on March 25, 2013.
The decree was issued after the (DPR) elected Arief Hidayat to the post on March 20, replacing Mahfud MD who entered retirement on March 31.
Arief Hidayat was elected to the post after gaining 42 votes at a House plenary session. He bested his two contenders, Sugiyanto and Djafar Elbram, who gained five votes and one vote respectively.
reporting Panca Hari Prabowo, editing by Suharto
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
