VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor

The VIII Constitutional Government (Portuguese: VIII Governo Constitucional, Tetum: VIII Governu Konstitusionál) is the eighth and incumbent Constitutional Government (administration or cabinet) under the Constitution of East Timor. Formed on 22 June 2018, and restructured in mid-2020, it is led by the country's seventh Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak.

VIII Constitutional Government
VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor
Incumbent
Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak
Date formed	22 June 2018
People and organisations
President	Francisco Guterres
Prime Minister	Taur Matan Ruak
No. of ministers	22 June 2018–12 May 2020: 1 Prime Minister 11 other Ministers 7 Vice Ministers 10 Secretaries of State 24 June 2020–present: 1 Prime Minister 2 Deputy Prime Ministers 17 other Ministers 12 Deputy Ministers 11 Secretaries of State
Member parties	22 June 2018–25 May 2020: Alliance for Change and Progress (CNRT–PLP–KHUNTO) 24 June 2020–present: Fretilin–PLP–KHUNTO–PD
Status in legislature	22 June 2018–17 January 2020: Majority 34 / 65 (52%) 24 June 2020–present: Majority 41 / 65 (63%)
History
Election(s)	2018
Predecessor	VII Constitutional Government

Initial (AMP) composition (22 June 2018–24 June 2020)

The Government at its swearing in

Initially, the VIII Constitutional Government was drawn from and supported by a coalition known as the Alliance for Change and Progress (AMP), which was made up of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), the People's Liberation Party (PLP) and Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan (KHUNTO).[1]

The officials appointed to form the government as from 22 June 2018 were:[2][3]

Ministers

Party		Minister	Portrait	Portfolio
	PLP	Taur Matan Ruak		Prime Minister Leader of the People's Liberation Party
	CNRT	Hermenegildo Ágio Pereira		Minister of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (22 June 2018 – 12 May 2020)[4][5]
	PLP	Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães		Minister for Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs
	CNRT	Dionísio da Costa Babo Soares		Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (22 June 2018 – 25 May 2020)[5]
	Independent	Manuel Cárceres da Costa		Minister of Justice
	CNRT	Dulce de Jesus Soares		Minister of Education, Youth and Sports (22 June 2018 – 25 May 2020)[5]
	PLP	Longuinhos dos Santos		Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture
	KHUNTO	Armanda Berta dos Santos		Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion
	Independent	Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires		Minister of Public Works
	KHUNTO	José Agustinho da Silva		Minister of Transport and Communications
	KHUNTO	Joaquim José Gusmão dos Reis Martins		Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
	Independent	Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus		Minister for Defence

Vice Ministers

Party		Vice Minister	Portrait	Portfolio
	CNRT	Sara Lobo Brites		Vice Minister of Finance
	CNRT	Abílio José Caetano		Vice Minister of State Administration (22 June 2018 – 25 May 2020)[5]
	CNRT	Élia António de Araújo dos Reis Amaral		Vice Minister of Health (22 June 2018 – 3 April 2020)[6]
	PLP	Bonifácio dos Reis		Vice Minister of Health
	KHUNTO	João Zacarias Freitas Soares		Vice Minister of Education, Youth and Sports
	PLP	Signi Verdial		Vice Minister for Social Solidarity
	KHUNTO	Nicolau Lino Freitas Belo		Vice Minister of Public Works

Secretaries of State

Party		Secretary of State	Portrait	Portfolio
	KHUNTO	Julião da Silva		Secretary of State of Vocational Training and Employment
	CNRT	Arsénio Pereira da Silva		Secretary of State for Cooperatives (22 June 2018 – 25 May 2020)[5]
	PLP	Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho		Secretary of State for the Environment
	PLP	Merício Juvenal dos Reis Akara		Secretary of State for Social Communications
	KHUNTO	Mário Ximenes		Secretary of State for Land and Property
	CNRT	Nélio Isaac Sarmento		Secretary of State for Youth and Sport (22 June 2018 – 25 May 2020)[5]
	PLP	Teófilo Caldas		Secretary of State for Arts and Culture
	KHUNTO	Gil da Costa Monteiro Oan Soru		Secretary of State for the Affairs of Combatants of National Liberation
	Independent	Alexandrino de Araújo		Secretary of State for Civil Protection
	PLP	Maria José da Fonseca Monteiro de Jesus		Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion

Restructured composition (24 June 2020–present)

The restructured government, 24 June 2020

Following the breakdown of the AMP coalition during the first few months of 2020, the government was restructured on 12 May 2020,[4][5] new officials were appointed on 29 May[7][8] and 24 June 2020.[9]

Since then, the Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Secretaries of State in the government have been:[10][11]

Ministers

Party		Minister	Portrait	Portfolio
	PLP	Taur Matan Ruak		Prime Minister Minister of the Interior Leader of the People's Liberation Party
	KHUNTO	Armanda Berta dos Santos		Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion
	Fretilin	José Maria dos Reis		Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Planning and Territory
	PLP	Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães		Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
	Fretilin	Joaquim Amaral		Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs
	Fretilin	Francisco Martins da Costa Pereira Jerónimo		Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Social Communication
	Fretilin	Fernando Hanjam		Minister of Finance (29 May 2020 – 5 November 2020)[12]
	Independent	Rui Augusto Gomes		Minister of Finance (23 November 2020 – present)[12]
	Fretilin	Adaljíza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno		Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
	PLP	Manuel Cárceres da Costa		Minister of Justice
	Fretilin	Miguel Pereira de Carvalho		Minister of State Administration
	Fretilin	Odete Maria Freitas Belo		Minister of Health
	Fretilin	Armindo Maia		Minister of Education, Youth and Sport
	PLP	Longuinhos dos Santos		Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture
	PD	Júlio Sarmento da Costa "Meta Mali"		Minister for the Affairs of National Liberation Combatants
	PLP	Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires		Minister of Public Works
	KHUNTO	José Agustinho da Silva		Minister of Transport and Communications
	Fretilin	José Lucas do Carmo da Silva		Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry
	KHUNTO	Pedro dos Reis		Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
	Independent	Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus		Minister for Defence
	Fretilin	Víctor da Conceição Soares		Minister of Petroleum and Minerals

Deputy Ministers

Party		Deputy Minister	Portrait	Portfolio
	Independent	Sara Lobo Brites		Deputy Minister of Finance
	KHUNTO	Julião da Silva		Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
	KHUNTO	José Edmundo Caetano		Deputy Minister of Justice
	Fretilin	Lino de Jesus Torrezão		Deputy Minister of State Administration
	PLP	Bonifácio Maucoli dos Reis		Deputy Minister of Health
	KHUNTO	António Guterres		Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Sport
	PLP	Signi Chandrawati Verdial		Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity
	KHUNTO	Nicolau Lino Freitas Belo		Deputy Minister of Public Works
	Fretilin	Inácia da Conceição Teixeira		Deputy Minister of Community and Cultural Tourism
	Fretilin	Domingos Lopes Antunes		Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
	KHUNTO	Abílio Xavier de Araújo		Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
	KHUNTO	António Armindo		Deputy Minister of the Interior

Secretaries of State

Party		Secretary of State	Portrait	Portfolio
	KHUNTO	Alarico de Rosário		Secretary of State for Vocational Training and Employment
	Fretilin	Elizário Ferreira		Secretary of State for Cooperatives
	PLP	Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho		Secretary of State for the Environment
	PLP	Merício Juvenal dos Reis "Akara"		Secretary of State for Communications
	KHUNTO	Mário Ximenes		Secretary of State for Land and Property
	Fretilin	Abrão Saldanha		Secretary of State for Youth and Sport
	PLP	Teófilo Caldas		Secretary of State for Arts and Culture
	KHUNTO	Gil da Costa Monteiro "Oan Soru"		Secretary of State for the Affairs of Combatants of National Liberation
	KHUNTO	Elídio de Araújo		Secretary of State for Fisheries
	KHUNTO	Joaquim José Gusmão dos Reis Martins		Secretary of State for Civil Protection
	PLP	Maria José da Fonseca Monteiro de Jesus		Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion

References

Notes

1. Leach 2018a.
2. "Primeiro grupo de membros do VIII Governo timorense tomou posse em Díli" [First group of members of the VIII Timorese Government take office in Dili] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
3. "Transitional Ministerial Administration". Government of Timor-Leste. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
4. Soares Martins, Evaristo (14 May 2020). "PM Taur Matan Ruak Gains Two Deputies in Government Restructure". Tatoli. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
5. Sanchez, Hortencio (25 May 2020). "Foreign Minister Dionísio Soares Among Five MPs to Resign From Cabinet". Tatoli. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
6. Ximenes, Florencio Miranda; Gusmão, Antónia (6 April 2020). "'I lost my Trust in her': PM Taur Explains Élia Amaral Sacking". Tatoli. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
7. Colo, Cipriano (29 May 2020). "Eight New Members Sworn into TL Cabinet". Tatoli. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
8. "Presidente timorense dá posse a oito novos membros do Governo" [Timorese President swears in eight new members of the Government]. RTP News (in Portuguese). Lusa. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
9. "Swearing-In and organic structure of the Eight Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
10. "Structure of the VIII Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
11. "Timor-Leste's Eighth Constitutional Government (updated 17 July 2020)". La'o Hamutuk website. La'o Hamutuk: Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
12. "Lú Olo swearing-in of the New Minister of Finance Rui Gomes". Tatoli website. Tatoli. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

Further reading

• Leach, Michael (14 August 2018a). "A first test for Timor-Leste's cohabitants". Inside Story. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
• Leach, Michael (14 December 2018b). "In Timor-Leste, an eventful year ends in tension". Inside Story. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
• Leach, Michael (24 February 2020). "Back to the future in Dili". Inside Story. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
• Leach, Michael (5 May 2020). "Xanana Gusmão's new parliamentary coalition collapses". Inside Story. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
• Leach, Michael (2 June 2020). "Out of turmoil, a new majority in Timor-Leste's parliament". Inside Story. Retrieved 30 November 2020.

External links

• Program of the Eighth Constitutional Government – Government of East Timor
• Timor-Leste's Eighth Constitutional Government – La’o Hamutuk: Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis