Politics of East Timor


Politics of East Timor takes place in a framework of a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of East Timor is the head of government and the President of East Timor exercises the functions of head of state. East Timor has a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal, though the president is less powerful than the Portuguese counterpart. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.

Executive branch

The head of state of the East Timorese republic is the President, who is directly elected by popular vote for a five-year term, and whose executive powers are somewhat limited by the constitution, though this official is able to veto legislation, which action can be overridden by the parliament. Following elections, the president usually appoints as the prime minister, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition. As head of government the prime minister presides over the cabinet.

Legislative branch

The unicameral Timorese National Parliament has 65 members elected by proportional representation for a five-year term. The number of seats can vary from a minimum of 52 to a maximum of 65, though it exceptionally had 88 members during its first term which also exceptionally lasted six years - from 2001 to 2007 - this was because the constitution provided that the 88-member Constitutional Assembly would become the first parliament after the constitution entered into force in 2002.
The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.

Political parties and elections

Presidential elections

Parliamentary elections

Judicial branch

The Supreme Court of Justice has one judge appointed by the National Parliament and the rest appointed by the Superior Council for the Judiciary. As mentioned in a 2010 source, the country was in the process of developing a legal system that includes private practice attorneys.

Administrative divisions

East Timor is divided into thirteen administrative districts:
The districts are subdivided into 65 subdistricts, 443 sucos and 2,336 towns, villages and hamlets.

Cabinet

; Matan Ruak
MinisterName
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Minister of State Consellor Prime MinisterXanana Gusmão
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of MinistersHermenegildo Ágio Pereira
Minister for Legislative Reform and Parliamentary AffairsFidelis Manuel Leite Magalhaes
Minister for Foreign Affairs and CooperationDionisio da Costa Babo Soares
Minister of JusticeManuel Carceres da Costa
Minister of Education, Youth and Sports
Minister of Higher Education, Science and CultureLonguinhos dos Santos
Minister of Social Solidarity and InclusionArmanda Berta dos Santos
Minister of Public WorksSalvador Soares dos Reis Pires
Minister of Transport and CommunicationsJose Agostinho da Silva
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesJoaquim Jose Gusmao dos Reis Martins
Minister of Petroleum and MineralAlfredo Pires

;Alkatiri II
MinisterName
Prime MinisterMari Alkatiri
Minister of Development and Institutional ReformMari Alkatiri
Minister of StateJosé Ramos-Horta
Minister of StateRui Maria de Araújo
Minister of StateEstanislau da Silva
Minister of StateMariano Assanami Sabino
Deputy Minister of the Prime MinisterHermenegildo Augusto Cabral Pereira
Deputy Minister of the Prime MinisterJosé Maria dos Reis
Counselor for National SecurityJosé Ramos-Horta
Presidency of the Council of MinistersAdriano do Nascimento
Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationAurélio Guterres
Minister of Defence and SecurityJosé Agostinho Sequeira
Minister of Interior
Minister of Planning and FinanceRui Gomes
Deputy Minister of Housing, Planning and EnvironmentAbrão Gabriel Santos Oliveira
Minister of Justice
Deputy Minister of JusticeSebastião Dias Ximenes
Minister of HealthRui Maria de Araújo
Deputy Minister of HealthLuís Maria Ribeiro Freitas Lobato
Minister of Education and CultureFernando Hanjam
Vice Minister of Education and CultureLurdes Bessa
Deputy Minister of Education and CultureJosé António de Jesus das Neves
Minister of State AdministrationValentim Ximenes
Deputy Minister of State AdministrationJosé Anuno
Minister of Commerce, Industry and EnvironmentAntónio Conceição
Deputy Minister of Commerce and IndustryJacinto Gusmão
Minister of Social Solidarity
Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications
Deputy Minister of Public WorksMariano Renato Monteiro da Cruz
Deputy Minister of Transport and CommunicationsInácio Freitas Moreira
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesEstanislau da Silva
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesCipriano Esteves Doutel Ferreira
Minister of Tourism and Art
Minister of PetroleumHernani Filomena Coelho da Silva
Minister of Mineral ResourcesMariano Assanami Sabino

;Araújo
MinisterName
Prime MinisterRui Maria de Araújo
Minister of StateHermenegildo Ágio Pereira
Minister of StateFernando La Sama de Araújo
Minister of StateEstanislau da Conceição Aleixo Maria da Silva
Minister of StateDionísio da Costa Babo Soares
Presidency of the Council of MinistersHermenegildo Ágio Pereira
Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationHernâni Coelho
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationRoberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares
Minister of DefenceCirilio José Cristóvão
Vice-Minister of DefenceN/A
Minister of InteriorLonguinhos Monteiro
Vice-Minister of InteriorN/A
Minister of Finance
Vice-Minister of FinanceHélder Lopes
Minister of JusticeIvo Jorge Valente
Vice-Minister of JusticeN/A
Minister of HealthMaria do Céu Sarmento
Vice-Minister for Health
Minister of EducationFernando La Sama de Araújo
Vice-Minister of Education I
Vice-Minister of Education IIAbel da Costa Freitas Ximenes
Minister of State AdministrationDionísio da Costa Babo Soares
Vice-Minister of State AdministrationTomás do Rosário Cabral
Minister of Commerce, Industry and EnvironmentAntónio da Conceição
Vice-Minister of Commerce, Industry and EnvironmentConstâncio da Conceição Pinto
Minister of Social Solidarity
Vice-Minister of Social SolidarityMiguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu
Minister of Public Works, Transport and CommunicationsGastão Francisco de Sousa
Vice-Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications IJanuário da Costa Pereira
Vice-Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications IIInácio Moreira
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesEstanislau da Conceição Aleixo Maria da Silva
Vice-Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesMarcos da Cruz
Minister of Tourism, Art and CultureFrancisco Kalbuadi Lay
Vice-Minister of Tourism, Art and CultureN/A
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral ResourcesAlfredo Pires
Vice-Minister of Petroleum and Mineral ResourcesN/A
Minister of Planning and Strategic InvestmentXanana Gusmão
Vice-Minister of Planning and Strategic InvestmentN/A

;Gusmão II
MinisterName
Prime MinisterKay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Vice Prime MinisterFernando La Sama de Araújo
Minister of StateAgio Pereira
Minister of StateJosé Luís Guterres
Presidency of the Council of MinistersAgio Pereira
Minister of Coordinator of Social AffairsFernando La Sama de Araújo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationJosé Luís Guterres
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationConstâncio da Conceição Pinto
Minister of Defence and SecurityXanana Gusmão
Vice-Minister of Defence and SecurityN/A
Minister of FinanceEmília Pires
Vice-Minister of Finance
Minister of JusticeDionísio Babo Soares
Vice-Minister of JusticeIvo Jorge Valente
Minister of HealthSérgio Lobo
Vice-Minister for Ethnics and Service Delivery
Vice-Minister for Management, Support and ResourcesMaria do Céu Sarmento
Minister of EducationBendito Freitas
Vice-Minister of Basic/Primary Education
Vice-Minister of Secondary EducationVirgílio Simith
Vice-Minister of Higher EducationMarçal Avelino Ximenes
Minister of State AdministrationJorge Teme
Vice-Minister of State AdministrationN/A
Minister of Commerce, Industry and EnvironmentAntónio da Conceição
Vice-Minister of Commerce, Industry and EnvironmentAbel da Costa Ximenes
Minister of Social Solidarity
Vice-Minister of Social SolidarityJacinto Rigoberto de Deus
Minister of Public WorksGastão Francisco de Sousa
Vice-Minister of Public WorksN/A
Minister of Transport and CommunicationsPedro Lay
Vice-Minister of Transport and CommunicationsFlávio Cardoso Neves
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesMariano Assanami Sabino
Vice-Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesMarcos da Cruz
Minister of TourismFrancisco Kalbuadi Lay
Vice-Minister of TourismN/A
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral ResourcesAlfredo Pires
Vice-Minister of Petroleum and Mineral ResourcesN/A

;Gusmão I
MinisterName
Prime MinisterKay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Vice Prime MinisterJosé Luís Guterres
Vice Prime Minister?
Minister of Defence and SecurityXanana Gusmão
Vice-Minister of Defence and SecurityN/A
Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationZacarias da Costa
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationN/A
Minister of FinanceEmília Pires
Vice-Minister of FinanceRui Manuel Hajam
Minister of JusticeLúcia Lobato
Vice-Minister of JusticeN/A
Minister of HealthNelson Martins
Vice-Minister of Health
Minister of EducationJoão Câncio Freitas
Vice-Minister of EducationPaulo Assis Belo
Minister of Internal AdministrationArcângelo Leite
Vice-Minister of Internal AdministrationN/A
Minister of Economy and DevelopmentJoão Gonçalves
Vice-Minister of Economy and DevelopmentCristiano da Costa
Minister of Social SolidarityMaria Domingas Alves
Vice-Minister of Social SolidarityN/A
Minister of Public WorksGastão Francisco de Sousa
Vice-Minister of Public WorksN/A
Minister of InfrastructurePedro Lay
Vice-Minister of InfrastructureJosé Manuel Carrascalão
Minister of Transport, Communications and Public WorksOvidio D. J. Amaral
Vice-Minister of Transport, Communications and Public WorksN/A
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesMariano Assanami Sabino
Vice-Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesN/A
Minister of Tourism, Commerce and IndustryGil Alves
Vice-Minister of Tourism, Commerce and IndustryN/A

;Alkatiri
MinisterName
Prime MinisterMarí Bim Amude Alkatiri
Vice Prime MinisterN/A
Minister of StateAnna Pessoa Pinto
Minister of StateJose Ramos Horta
Vice-Minister of StateOlimpio Branco
Presidency of the Council of MinistersAnna Pessoa Pinto
Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationJose Ramos Horta
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and CooperationOlimpio Branco
Minister of Internal AffairsRogerio Tiago Lobato
Vice-Minister of Internal AffairsAlcino Baris
Minister of Planning and FinanceMaria M. B. Boavida
Vice-Minister of Planning and FinanceAicha Bassarewan
Minister of JusticeDomingos Maria Sarmento
Vice-Minister of JusticeManuel Abrantes
Minister of HealthRui Maria de Araujo
Vice-Minister of HealthLuis Maria Lobato
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and SportsArmindo Maia
Vice-Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and SportsRosaria Corte-Real
Minister of Internal AdministrationAnna Pessoa Pinto
Vice-Minister of Internal AdministrationIlda M. da Conceicao
Minister of Development and Environment?
Vice-Minister of Development and EnvironmentAbel Da C. F. Ximenes
Minister of Transport, Communications and Public WorksOvidio D. J. Amaral
Vice-Minister of Transport, Communications and Public WorksArq Cesar V. Moreira
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesEstanislau A. da Silva
Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesF. De Sa Benevides