National Parliament (East Timor)


The National Parliament is the unicameral national legislature in East Timor. It was created in 2001 as the Constituent Assembly while the country was still under the supervision of the United Nations, but renamed itself to the National Parliament with the attaining of national independence on 20 May 2002.

Structure

National Parliament has 65 members, elected every 5 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 2017, is Francisco Guterres.

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 22 June 2018, is Taur Matan Ruak.

Elections

Elections are held every 5 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

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, 23 are from Fretilin, 5 are from the Democratic Party, and 3 are from Democratic Development Forum. Each of these MPs will serve a 5-year term, which began in June 2018.

List of Presidents of the National Parliament