Jombang, East Java. Abdul Hakim Mahfudz, popularly known as Gus Kikin, was elected chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, for the 2026-2031 term at its national congress in Jombang, East Java, on Monday.

He will replace Yahya Cholil Staquf whose leadership has stirred internal disputes in the last two years amid allegations of Israeli ties and other issues.

Gus Kikin, who leads the influential Tebuireng Islamic boarding school in Jombang, was chosen through deliberations by the ahlul halli wal aqdi (AHWA), a nine-member council of senior clerics empowered to make key decisions on the organization’s leadership.

“After deliberating on the five proposed candidates, the members of the ahlul halli wal aqdi unanimously decided to elect KH Abdul Hakim, commonly known as Gus Kikin, as chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board for the 2026-2031 term,” council member Anwar Iskandar said.

Five candidates had been submitted to the AHWA council after securing the highest number of votes in a preliminary ballot among congress participants.

Besides Gus Kikin, the four candidates were Zulfa Mustofa, Abdussalam Sochib, incumbent chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf, popularly known as Gus Yahya, and Abdul Ghaffar Rozin.

Gus Kikin had emerged as the clear frontrunner in the preliminary ballot, receiving 472 votes, the highest tally among the candidates.

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