Armanda Berta dos Santos


Armanda Berta dos Santos is an East Timorese politician, and the leader of the Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan political party. She is the more senior of East Timor's two incumbent Deputy Prime Ministers, serving since May 2020 under the VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor led by Taur Matan Ruak. She is also the incumbent Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, serving in that position since the government was formed in June 2018.

Political career

Santos has been KHUNTO's leader since its foundation in 2011. In the 2012 East Timorese parliamentary election, KHUNTO won 2.97% of the popular vote, and therefore failed by only 150 votes to overcome the 3% electoral threshold and have two members elected to the National Parliament.
In the 2017 parliamentary election, Santos was elected to the National Parliament as the party's list leader. She also became Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications and a member of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Development.
In the early election in 2018, Santos was ranked #3 in the , of which KHUNTO was a part, and was again elected to the National Parliament. On 22 June 2018, she was sworn in as Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion in the new VIII Constitutional Government, and therefore automatically had to give up her parliamentary seat.
Following the breakdown of the AMP coalition in the first few months of 2020, the CNRT, which had been the lead party in that coalition, decided on 30 April 2020 that its members serving in the VIII Constitutional Government would resign their positions. The CNRT informed the Prime Minister of its decision on 8 May 2020, but KHUNTO continued to support the government. On 12 May 2020, the government approved the creation of two new positions of Deputy Prime Minister, and on 29 May 2020, Santos was sworn in as holder of one of those new positions, while retaining her role as Minister for Social Solidarity and Inclusion.

Personal life

Santos is married to, the leader of, a. Naimori is also the founder of KHUNTO, but chose to assume only the position of adviser to the party, with Santos taking on the leadership.