National_Parliament_(East_Timor)
National Parliament (East Timor)
Legislature of the Southeast Asian state
The National Parliament (Tetum: Parlamentu Nasionál, Portuguese: Parlamento Nacional) is the unicameral national legislature in East Timor. It was created in 2001 as the Constituent Assembly while the country was still administered by the United Nations, but renamed itself to the National Parliament with the attaining of national independence on 20 May 2002.
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National Parliament | |
|---|---|
| 6th National Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 20 May 2002 |
| Leadership | |
President | |
Vice-Presidents | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 65 MPs |
 | |
Political groups | Government (37)
Opposition (28) |
Length of term | 5 years |
| Authority | Title III, Part III, Constitution of East Timor |
| Elections | |
| Party-list proportional representation D'Hondt method Closed list | |
Last election | 21 May 2023 |
Next election | 2028 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Parlamento Nacional Dili, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | |
 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
National Parliament has 65 members, elected every five years through party-list proportional representation voting. The three main components of concerning parliament in East Timor are the National Parliament, the prime minister, and the president.
President
The president is elected in a separate election from National Parliament, and their role is the head of state. They are able to reject certain legislation, but their role is limited by the Constitution. The current president, as of 20 May 2022, is José Ramos-Horta.
Prime Minister
The president appoints the prime minister, but it is expected that the president will select the leader chosen by the largest party/coalition. Essentially, if no one party is able to form a majority in its own right, then all the members of parliament subsequently elect the head of government. The prime minister carries out the function of the head of government. The current prime minister, as of June 2023, is Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.
Elections are held every five years using a party-list proportional representation voting system to elect 65 members to the National Assembly. Voting is voluntary for all East Timorese citizens over the age of 17. There have been five elections for the parliament in East Timor: 2001, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2018.
The 5th National Parliament of East Timor currently consists of 65 members elected in the 2018 election. 34 members are from Alliance for Change and Progress (CNRT–PLP–KHUNTO), 23 are from Fretilin, 5 are from the Democratic Party (PD), and 3 are from Democratic Development Forum (PUDD–UDT–FM–PDN). Each of these MPs will serve a 5-year term, which began in June 2018.[1]
| # | Portrait | Name | Took office | End office | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Guterres | 20 May 2002 | 31 July 2007 | Fretilin | [2] | |
| 2 | Fernando de Araújo | 8 August 2007 | 30 July 2012 | Democratic Party | [3] | |
| 3 | Vicente Guterres | 30 July 2012 | 2016 | CNRT | [3] | |
| 4 | Adérito Hugo da Costa | 2016 | 2017 | CNRT | [3] | |
| 5 | Aniceto Guterres Lopes | 5 September 2017 | 2018 | Fretilin | [3] | |
| 6 | Arão Noé da Costa Amaral | 5 April 2018 | 2020 | CNRT | [4] | |
| (5) | Aniceto Guterres Lopes | 19 May 2020 | 22 June 2023 | Fretilin | [4] | |
| 7 | Maria Fernanda Lay | 22 June 2023 | Incumbent | CNRT |
- 1st Parliament (2001–2007)
- 5th Parliament (2018–2020)
- 5th Restructured Parliament (2020–2023)
| Primary vote | Seats | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | CNRT | Fretilin | Democratic | Oth. | CNRT | Fretilin | Democratic | Oth. | Total |
| 2001 | – | 57.37% | 8.72% | 33.91% | – | 55 | 7 | 26 | 88 |
| 2007 | 24.10% | 29.02% | 11.30% | 35.58% | 18 | 21 | 8 | 18 | 65 |
| 2012 | 36.66% | 29.87% | 10.31% | 23.16% | 30 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 65 |
| 2017 | 29.46% | 29.66% | 9.79% | 31.09% | 22 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 65 |
| 2018 | 49.58%[5] | 34.16% | 8.07% | 8.19% | 34[5] | 23 | 5 | 3 | 65 |
| 2023 | 41.63% | 25.75% | 9.32% | 23.30% | 31 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 65 |
- "IFES Election Guide | Elections: East Timor Parliament 2012". www.electionguide.org.
