Timor-Leste: Timorese National Parliament, 12 May 2018

At stake in this election:

• 65 seats in the Timorese National Parliament (Parlamento Nacional)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Francisco GUTERRES (since 20 May 2017)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Mari ALKATIRI*
• Assembly: Unicameral National Parliament (Parlamento Nacional) with 65 seats

* New Prime Minister Taur Matan RUAK was elected in this election.

Description of electoral system:

• Members of the National Parliament (Parlamento Nacional) are directly elected to 5-year terms by a proportional representation vote.

Last Election:

• The last parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste occurred in 2017. The Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste won 23 seats and the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction won 22 seats. No party won an outright majority and no majority coalition was formed, leading to these 2018 elections.

Main candidates in the election:

• Party: Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste / Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente (FRETILIN)
  • Leader: Francisco "Lu-Olo" GUTERRES
  • Seats won in last election: 23
• Coalition: Change for Progress Alliance / Aliança Mudança ba Progresso (AMP)*
  • Leader: Xanana GUSMÃO and Taur Matan RUAK
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Timorese Democratic Party / Partido Democrático (PD)
  • Leader: Mariano Sabino LOPEZ
  • Seats won in last election: 7
• Coaltion: Democratic Development Front (FDD)**​
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

*The AMP coalition is made up of The National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction, the People's Liberation Party, and Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan (KHUNTO). 

**The FDD coalition is made up of  United Party for Development and Democracy (PUDD), the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), and Frenti-Mudança. 

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,291,358 (July 2017 est.)
• Registered Voters: 760,907

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 628,865 (July 2016)
• Is Timor-Leste a signatory to CEDAW: No
• Has Timor-Leste ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (16 April 2003)
• Gender Quota: No
• Female candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21
• Human Development Index Position: 128
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High

Disability Data:

• Is Timor-Leste a signatory to CRPD: No
• Has Timor-Leste ratified CRPD: No
• Population with a disability: 184,667