It was established following a meeting in Jakarta on 13–14 December 2006 and first headed by former Indonesian National Armed Forces commander Wiranto.

[3][4] The party lost its seats in the People's Representative Council after a poor performance in the 2019 general election.

After being eliminated in the first round of the 2004 Indonesian presidential election, Wiranto was "traumatized" by his defeat and decided not to run for the presidency without his own political vehicle.

[6][7] Following cabinet reshuffle in July 2016, Wiranto was appointed as coordinating minister for politics, legal and security affairs, prompting the party to hold a convention to select Wiranto's successor as party chairman.

[8] In Indonesia's 2019 general election, Hanura won only 1.54% of the vote and lost its 16 seats in the national parliament.