Nur Mahmudi Ismail

Ismail was the first chairman of Prosperous Justice Party (formerly Justice Party), when the party was created in 1998. Later, after the 1999 general election, Ismail resigned from his position as the chairman of the party after being chosen by President Abdurrahman Wahid to serve as the minister of forestry in the National Unity Cabinet. He held this position from 1999 to 2000, when President Wahid replaced him with Marzuki Usman.

In 2005, together with his running mate, Yuyun Wirasaputra, Ismail narrowly won the mayoral election, beating the incumbent Badrul Kamal.