1. TITLE OF THE MODULE
CHAPTER 1: Timor-Leste/East Timor
2. INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we will discuss about the politics and government in Timor Leste. TimorLeste, on the other hand is the youngest state ever included in the region for it just gained
its independence in 2002. Until now, it faces the struggle of continuous changing of
governments due to changing coalitions among different political groups in the country.
3. LEARNING OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES
 Familiarize oneself in the political and government affairs of Timor Leste
 Discuss the political features and issues faced by this country
4. LEARNING CONTENT
TIMOR LESTE
Political System: Semi-Presidentialist Republic
The Head of State is the President of the Republic, who is elected by popular vote for a
five-year term.
The President guarantees the respect for the Constitution and for State Institutions, and
when necessary, can act as a mediator for conflict resolution.
He can also exercise the right to veto legislation put forth by the government and
approved by the National Parliament.
Following legislative elections, the president appoints as prime minister the leader of the
majority party or majority coalition. As Head of State the President also presides over the
Council of State and the Superior Council of Defense and Security.
The unicameral Timorese parliament is the National Parliament or Parlamento Nacional,
whose members are also elected by popular vote to a five-year term.
The number of seats can vary from a minimum of 52 to a maximum of 65. All legal political
parties can run to the legislative elections, organizing to that effect their list of candidates
to the National Parliament. The Government is the Executive body of the State and is
responsible for the development and implementation of the Government Program for the
5 year term. The Head of the Government is the Prime-Minister (Ibid.).
Independence is a recent and hard-won achievement for Timor-Leste. Statehood and
centralized government are the available way to assert independence in the international
system, and for many Timorese they symbolize rejection of the oppression and violence
of the Indonesian era and stand as assertions of self-determination and hope. Many
Timorese made great personal sacrifice for the 1999 vote that led to independence.
Perhaps reflecting this there is a very high level of participation in national elections. Since
formal independence Timor-Leste has held two rounds of national elections and
witnessed one change of government – a significant achievement. The state itself could
be seen as a statement of independence and of being Timorese, and people want to be
part of it.
Democratic inclusion makes up the national political community by having approached
largely in terms of elections. Timorese welcome the opportunity to participate in the choice
of leadership. But, in reality national elections remain to be a “thin” form of people
engagement. Elections in themselves do not link the operation of leadership with the
concerns, needs and values of the community, and are not capable of bridging the
disjunction of local and bureaucratic-legal institutions, rather elections open the door to
wider sets of exchanges and forms of accountability necessary for more substantive
legitimacy. Without these exchanges, the legitimating power of elections could weaken.
The government also undertakes public consultation processes; however these
consultation periods are usually short and little information is disseminated beforehand.
The challenges of creating inclusive processes of exchange, not driven by specific
government policy agendas are significant.
Governance
 In its broadest sense, governance refers to the way a country is run and, more
specifically, to how power within a society is maintained and exercised. This is
often referred to as political governance. Despite growing disillusionment with
government service delivery, the political process and the recent unrest, it is
difficult not to be impressed by the enthusiasm of the East Timorese for politics.
Across the country political flags fly above people's homes and whole communities
turn out during visits to rural districts by party leaders. This is perhaps to be
expected in a country that fought so long for its political independence. Political
governance in Timor-Leste is also of particular relevance to public sector
governance.
 Any failings of political governance can have implications for the civil service which
implements the policies of elected government. In Timor-Leste, public
administration is especially vulnerable to failings of political governance as the
power of the executive government is strong while the civil service is in the process
of developing.
 Another key challenge facing political governance is the problem of
communication. The vast majority of East Timorese do not own a television or radio
and even for those that do, reception is often poor or even non-existent. Poor
literacy rates coupled with the limited circulation and high relative cost of
newspapers also inhibit political communication.

The barriers to new or growing political parties, in terms of communicating to the
electorate, are therefore high. Encouraging government accountability through the
media is also a challenge when the communication of government processes and
actions is low. Democratic governance is also vulnerable in Timor-Leste because
accountability mechanisms are weak and the effectiveness of the legislature and
the judiciary is still developing. This, coupled with the current dominance of Fretilin
in the Timor-Leste government, raises the possibility of a one-party state emerging.
Such a development would have serious adverse consequences for the
development of an impartial and effective civil service free of political patronage
(Fenby, 2006)
Current Issues



Timor-Leste’s politics have been covered with uncertainties due to the collapse of
its previous governing coalition after its failure to pass a budget amid coalition
infighting. Even though there is a new government to set off, it is obvious that it
will face a range of formidable challenges that will need addressing. For the past
years, Timor Leste has made significant progress towards state-building in some
areas after a painful struggle against colonialism. But, it still faces political and
economic challenges as one of the world’s poorest economies and a polity that
has seen eight governments come and go in less than two decades.
Those challenges continued this year, and last January the prior government that
had been led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak collapsed after failing to pass a
budget, leaving a possibility of formation of a new government. And over the past
month, indications surfaced that a six-party coalition led by independence leader
and former Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has the enough support to form a new
government. But even if a new government takes office soon, the country’s ninth
in less than two decades—Timor Leste still faces significant challenges. Politically
speaking, it is not easy to manage a six-party coalition with a slim majority at 34
out of 65 parliamentary seats, given its fragility having the Gusmao-led National
Congress for Timorese Reconstruction holding 21 seats; KHUNTO and
Democratic party holding five seats and three parties having just one seat each.
In economic terms, beyond getting a budget passed, the new government will
have to contend with short and long-term challenges which include falling energy
prices amid a global pandemic. The greatest challenge now in the current
government is how it will reset the country’s politics and make progress on the
country’s challenges in a more sustainable manner, and that how it can form the
government having the country’s leaders overcome their differences just enough
to hold governing coalitions long enough to manage this mix of opportunities and
challenges (Parameswaran, 2020).