The Constitutional Government ( pt, Governo Constitucional, tet, Governu Konstitusionál) is the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

under the

Constitution of East Timor The Constitution of East Timor entered into force on 20 May 2002, and was the country's first constitution after it gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and from Indonesia, which invaded East Timor on 7 December 1975 and left in 1999 followi ...

, which refers to it simply as "The Government".

Definition and structure

The Government is the organ of sovereignty responsible for conducting and executing the general policy of the country and is the supreme organ of Public Administration. It comprises the

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 ...

, the Ministers and the Secretaries of State, and may include one or more Deputy Prime Ministers and Deputy Ministers. The number, titles and competencies of ministries and secretariats of State are as laid down in a Government statute. There is also a Council of Ministers. It comprises the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers, if any, and the Ministers, and is convened and chaired by the Prime Minister. The Deputy Ministers, if any, and the Secretaries of State may be required to attend meetings of the Council of Ministers, without a right to vote.

Formation and responsibility

Chapter II of Part III, Title IV of the Constitution provides for the Government's formation and responsibility. What follows is a summary of its provisions. The prime minister is designated by the political party or alliance of political parties with parliamentary majority. The prime minders is appointed by the President, after consultation with the political parties sitting in the National Parliament. The remaining members of the Government are appointed by the President of the Republic following proposal by the Prime Minister. According to section 107 (headed "Responsibility of the Government"): The Prime Minister is required, within a maximum of thirty days after appointment of the Government, to submit the Government's programme to the National Parliament for consideration. The National Parliament must devote no more than five days to debate on the programme. Any parliamentary group may propose the rejection of the programme, or the Government may request the approval of a vote of confidence. The programme can be rejected only by an absolute majority of the Members in full exercise of their functions. The Constitution also provides separately for other votes of confidence or no confidence. The Government may ask the National Parliament for a vote of confidence on a statement of general policy or on any relevant matter of national interest. On the other hand, the National Parliament may, following proposal by one-quarter of the Members in full exercise of their functions, pass a vote of no confidence on the Government with respect to the implementation of its programme or any relevant matter of national interest. Dismissal of the Government occurs when: Additionally, the President may dismiss the Prime Minister when such dismissal is deemed necessary to ensure the regular functioning of the democratic institutions, after consultation with the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

. The Constitution also provides for criminal liability of, and immunities for, members of the Government.Constitution, sections 113 and 114.

References

{{Asia topic, Cabinet of, title=National cabinets of Asia, TL=Constitutional Government of East Timor Politics of East Timor