National Parliament (East Timor)

National Parliament

Parlamentu Nasionál (Tetum)
Parlamento Nacional (Portuguese)
6th National Parliament
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded20 May 2002
Leadership
President
Maria Fernanda Lay (CNRT)
since 22 June 2023
Vice-Presidents
Maria Teresinha Viegas (CNRT) and Alexandrino Afonso Nunes (PD)
Structure
Seats65 MPs
Political groups
Government (37)
  •   CNRT (31)
  •   PD (6)

Opposition (28)

Length of term
5 years
AuthorityTitle 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
Parlamento Nacional
Dili, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Website
www.parlamento.tl
Politics of East Timor
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
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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.

Structure

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National Parliament has 65 members, elected every five years through party-list proportional representation voting. The three main components concerning parliament in East Timor are the National Parliament, the prime minister, and the president.

President

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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

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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

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Main article: East Timorese parliamentary election, 2018

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.

Current members

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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]

List of presidents of the National Parliament

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# 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

Composition of the National Parliament since 2001

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  • 1st Parliament (2001–2007)
    1st Parliament (2001–2007)
  • 5th Parliament (2018–2020)
    5th Parliament (2018–2020)
  • 5th Restructured Parliament (2020–2023)
    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


See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IFES Election Guide | Elections: East Timor Parliament 2012". www.electionguide.org.
  2. ^ "Parlamento Nacional de Timor-Leste | Biografia - FRANCISCO GUTERRES Lu Olo".
  3. ^ a b c d "Parlamento Nacional de Timor-Leste | Antigos Presidentes".
  4. ^ a b "Parlamento Nacional de Timor-Leste | Presidente - Biografia".
  5. ^ a b As AMP, in alliance with PLP and KHUNTO.
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