In 1996. Suharto had been at the helm for three decades. He had been elected president six times by the People's Consultative Assembly.
Suharto 's downfall was attributed to popular discontent due to: -
- Suharto's record of corruption and cronyism and his bowing down to the IMF 's bailout package after the economic disaster.
- The economic crisis of 1997 had caused a massive discontent.
By May 1998 , repeated incidents of violence and unrest among the masses as well ad huge rallies by the student protesters led to determination within the armed forces that Suharto had become a liability