| Parliament name |
National Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
30 June 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Parliament. |
The first parliamentary elections to be held since Timor-Leste became an independent State in 2002 took place on 30 June 2007.
The parliamentary elections were preceded by presidential elections in May 2007
in which Mr. José Ramos-Horta defeated the FRETILIN candidate
Mr. Francisco Guterres "Lu Olo"
outgoing Speaker of the National Parliament. Mr. Ramos-Horta succeeded Mr. Xanana Gusmão
the charismatic leader who had led the independence movement under the National Council of Timorese Resistance.
Both elections took place against a backdrop of the unrest that had rocked the country in 2006
following the government's dismissal of 600 soldiers from the army. The ensuing rioting had left 37 people dead and had led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. He was succeeded by Mr. Ramos-Horta.
A total of 14 parties contested the parliamentary elections. The principal actors were the FRETILIN and the National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT)
which was founded in March 2007 by the then President Gusmão. The FRETILIN pledged to provide better infrastructure and to deal with youth unemployment. Meanwhile
the CNRT criticized FRETILINs incompetence and corruption. It claimed that it wanted to liberate the people following the liberation of the country.
Other major parties contesting the elections included the Democratic Party
led by Mr. Fernando Lasama de Araújo
who had come in third in the first round of the 2007 presidential elections
and the Coalition of the Timorese Social-Democratic Association of Timor - Social Democratic Party (ASDT-PSD). Most parties said that they would not join a FRETILIN-led coalition
though the newly-elected President Ramos-Horta said all parties should join the new government to ensure its sustainability.
A total of 80.54 per cent of the 0.5 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
Approximately 500 international observers monitored the polls alongside 2
250 national observers. The European Union observer mission praised the election as being generally free and fair.
No party won an absolute majority. FRETILIN retained its position as the largest parliamentary party with 21 seats
followed by the CNRT with 18. In all
18 women were elected.
The newly elected National Parliament held its first session on 30 July
and elected Mr. Fernando Lasama de Araújo of the Democratic Party as its new Speaker.
Following a political stalemate to form a new government
President Ramos-Horta invoked his constitutional right and appointed Mr. Gusmão as Prime Minister. He was officially sworn in on 8 August. His new government comprises the CNRT
the ASDT-PSD and the Democratic Party (11 and eight seats respectively)
controlling a total of 37 seats in the 65-member National Parliament. The new government was officially sworn in on 9 August.
Note:
The Association of Timorese Heroes (KOTA) is also known as Klibur Oan Timor Asuwain (KOTA). |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 30 June 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
529'198
426'210 (80.54%)
10'606
415'604 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Revolutionary Front for an independent East Timor (FRETILIN) |
|
120'592 |
|
|
29.02 |
|
|
| National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) |
|
100'175 |
|
|
24.10 |
|
|
| Coalition of Social-democratic association of Timor and Social Democrat Party (ASDT- PSD) |
|
65'358 |
|
|
15.73 |
|
|
| Democratic Party (PD) |
|
46'946 |
|
|
11.30 |
|
|
| National Unity Party (PUN) |
|
18'896 |
|
|
4.55 |
|
|
| National Democratic Unity of Timorese Resistance (UNDERTIM) |
|
13'247 |
|
|
3.19 |
|
|
| Democratic Alliance of Association of Timorese Heroes and Popular Party of Timor (AD KOTA - PPT) |
|
13'294 |
|
|
3.20 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Number of women |
|
|
|
| Revolutionary Front for an independent East Timor (FRETILIN) |
21
|
5 |
|
|
|
| National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) |
18
|
6 |
|
|
|
| Coalition of Social-democratic association of Timor and Social Democrat Party (ASDT- PSD) |
11
|
4 |
|
|
|
| Democratic Party (PD) |
8
|
2 |
|
|
|
| National Unity Party (PUN) |
3
|
1 |
|
|
|
| National Democratic Unity of Timorese Resistance (UNDERTIM) |
2
|
0 |
|
|
|
| Democratic Alliance of Association of Timorese Heroes and Popular Party of Timor (AD KOTA - PPT) |
2
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
47
18
27.69%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- http://www.cne.tl/
- National Parliament (01.01.2008
20.12.2011) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
