António da Conceição (born 8 October 1964), also known by his ''
nom de guerre
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
'' (), is an
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
ese politician, and a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
(PD). He has held several Ministries in the government, and as of 2021 was a Member of the
National Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
.
Early life and career
Conceição was born in ,
Liquiçá
Liquiçá (Tetum: ''Likisá'') is a coastal city in East Timor, 32 km to the west of Dili, the national capital. Liquiçá is the capital of Liquiçá District. The city has a population of 5,005 inhabitants.
History
A part of the coloni ...
,
Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor ( pt, Timor Português) was a colonial possession of Portugal that existed between 1702 and 1975. During most of this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Dutch East Indies.
The first Europeans to arrive in the ...
(now
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
). He went to elementary school at the Children's College of Sagres ( pt, Colégio Infantil de Sagres) in
Maliana
Maliana is a city in East Timor, 149 kilometers southwest of Dili, the national capital. It has a population of 22,000. It is the capital of the Districts of East Timor, district of Bobonaro District, Bobonaro and Maliana Subdistrict, and is ...
until 1975. Then, after a short break, he attended the
Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima
The Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic seminary, located in Dare, Dili, East Timor. Established in 1936, it is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in East Timor. The seminary was initially established in Manatutu district, so ...
( pt, Seminário Menor de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, link=no) in
Dare
Dare may refer to:
Places
* Dare, East Timor, a city
* Darè, Italy, a commune
* Dare County, North Carolina, United States
* Dare, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community
Name
* Dare (name), a list of people and fictional c ...
,
Dili
Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...
, and St Joseph's High School ( pt, Colégio de São José, link=no) in , Dili. From 1987 to 1991, he studied philosophy and theology in
Malang
Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
National Resistance of East Timorese Students Commemoration for martyrs of the RENETIL (2017). The green flag is the flag of RENETIL.
The National Resistance of East Timorese Students ( pt, Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste (RENETIL)) was a resistance movement of students fro ...
( pt, Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste, link=no (Renetil)). While studying in Malang, he was also the regional secretary of Renetil. From 1991, he was part of Renetil's eight-member Presidium, and he was active in the resistance until 1999. In 2001, together with other members of RENETIL, he founded the PD.
In 1999, Conceição was the Executive Officer of based in Dili. From 2001 to 2002, he was the Advisor to the II UNTAET Transitional Government on the Development of the Commission on Planning. He then completed a Master's degree in international relations and strategic studies at
Lancaster University
Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...
, Conceição was elected to the National Parliament from fourth place on the PD list. However, on 8 August 2021 he was sworn in as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Environment in the V Constitutional Government under
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Xanana Gusmão
José Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmão (; born 20 June 1946) is an East Timorese politician. A former rebel, he was the third President of the independent East Timor, serving from 2002 to 2007. He then became its fourth prime minister, serving from ...
. He therefore had to give up his parliamentary seat.
When the VI Constitutional Government was formed in February 2015 by new Prime Minister
Rui Maria de Araújo
Rui Maria de Araújo (born 21 May 1964) is an East Timorese politician who served as its prime minister from 2015 to 2017. He is a physician and member of Fretilin.
He was Minister of Health from 2001 to 2006 and Deputy Prime Minister from 20 ...
, Conceição retained his ministerial office. On 2 June 2015, the leader of the PD, Fernando de Araújo, died suddenly. He had also been Minister of State, Coordinator of Social Affairs and Minister of Education, and on 10 August 2015, Conceição was appointed to succeed him in all three of those offices. Conceição's successor as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Environment was .
In March 2016, the coalition between CNRT and PD broke down, over a conflict between the government and parliament on the one hand and
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Taur Matan Ruak
José Maria Vasconcelos (born 10 October 1956), popularly known as Taur Matan Ruak (Tetum for "Two Sharp Eyes"), is an East Timorese politician who has served as the prime minister of East Timor since 22 June 2018. He was also President of Ea ...
on the other. The dispute related to the appointment of the Commander of the
Timor Leste Defence Force
The Timor Leste Defence Force ( tet, Forcas Defesa Timor Lorosae, pt, Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste or Falintil-FDTL, often F-FDTL) is the military body responsible for the defence of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February 200 ...
. To ensure the stability of the government, Conceição and the other members of the PD in the executive announced their withdrawal from the party. They kept their offices as independent politicians.
Despite this development, Conceição remained Secretary General of the PD, and on 27 January 2017 he finally declared his candidacy for the
2017 East Timorese presidential election
Presidential elections were held in East Timor on 20 March 2017. Incumbent President Taur Matan Ruak, who was eligible for a second term, chose not to run for re-election. In the vote on 20 March 2017, he received just under one third of the ballots cast, and finished in second place. Subsequently, in the parliamentary election of 2017, Conceição was elected to the National Parliament from second place on the PD list. However, he only attended the first day of parliament on 5 September 2017 and then waived his seat in favor of Júlio Sarmento da Costa.
On 15 September 2017, Conceição was sworn in as Minister for Commerce and Industry in the VII Constitutional Government under Prime Minister
Mari Alkatiri
Mari bin Amude Alkatiri, GCIH ( ar, مرعي بن عمودة الكثيري '; born 26 November 1949) is a Timorese politician. He was Prime Minister of East Timor from May 2002 until his resignation on 26 June 2006 following weeks of politica ...
. As that Fretilin / PD minority administration could not prevail in the National Parliament,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Francisco Guterres
Francisco Guterres, popularly known as Lú-Olo (born 7 September 1954), is an East Timorese politician who served as president of East Timor from 20 May 2017 to 20 May 2022. He is also the president of the political party Fretilin, and he was t ...
dissolved the parliament and called a fresh parliamentary election. In the election, held on 12 May 2018, Conceição was again elected, from second place on the PD list, to the parliament, in which the PD initially became part of the opposition. His tenure as a Minister ended when the VIII Constitutional Government took office on 22 June 2018.
, Conceição was a Member of the V Legislature of East Timor and two of its Committees.