# National Parliament of Timor-Leste

The National Parliament (Tetum: Parlamentu Nasionál, Portuguese: Parlamento Nacional) is the unicameral national legislature in Timor-Leste. It was created in 2001 as the Constituent Assembly while the country was still administered by 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 five years through party-list proportional representation voting. The three main components concerning parliament in Timor-Leste 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 2022, is José Ramos-Horta.

### 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 June 2023, is Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.

## Elections

Elections are held every five 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 Timor-Leste: 2001, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2018.

## Current members

The 5th National Parliament of Timor-Leste currently consists of 65 members elected in the 2018 election. 34 members are from Alliance for Change and Progress (CNRT–PLP–KHUNTO), 23 are from Fretilin, 5 are from the Democratic Party (PD), and 3 are from Democratic Development Forum (PUDD–UDT–FM–PDN). Each of these MPs will serve a 5-year term, which began in June 2018.

## List of presidents of the National Parliament

| # | Name | Took office | End office | Party |
| 1 | Francisco Guterres | 20 May 2002 | 31 July 2007 | Fretilin |
| 2 | Fernando de Araújo | 8 August 2007 | 30 July 2012 | Democratic Party |
| 3 | Vicente Guterres | 30 July 2012 | 2016 | CNRT |
| 4 | Adérito Hugo da Costa | 2016 | 2017 | CNRT |
| 5 | Aniceto Guterres Lopes | 5 September 2017 | 2018 | Fretilin |
| 6 | Arão Noé da Costa Amaral | 5 April 2018 | 2020 | CNRT |
| (5) | Aniceto Guterres Lopes | 19 May 2020 | 22 June 2023 | Fretilin |
| 7 | Maria Fernanda Lay | 22 June 2023 | Incumbent | CNRT |

## Composition of the National Parliament since 2001

* 1st Parliament (2001–2007)
* 5th Parliament (2018–2020)
* 5th Restructured Parliament (2020–2023)
| | Primary vote | Primary vote | Primary vote | Primary vote | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats |
| Election | CNRT | Fretilin | Democratic | Oth. | CNRT | Fretilin | Democratic | Oth. | Total |
| 2001 | – | 57.37% | 8.72% | 33.91% | – | 55 | 7 | 26 | 88 |
| 2007 | 24.10% | 29.02% | 11.30% | 35.58% | 18 | 21 | 8 | 18 | 65 |
| 2012 | 36.66% | 29.87% | 10.31% | 23.16% | 30 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 65 |
| 2017 | 29.46% | 29.66% | 9.79% | 31.09% | 22 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 65 |
| 2018 | 49.58% | 34.16% | 8.07% | 8.19% | 34 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 65 |
| 2023 | 41.63% | 25.75% | 9.32% | 23.30% | 31 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 65 |