Constituent Assembly elections were held in
East Timor
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
on 30 August 2001, the second anniversary of the
independence referendum
An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independenc ...
. One member was elected from each of the country's thirteen districts, whilst a further 75 were elected by proportional representation.
The result was a victory for
Fretilin
The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (, abbreviated as Fretilin) is a separatist organization turned centre-left political party in Timor-Leste. It presently holds 19 of 65 seats in the National Parliament. Fretilin formed the ...
, which won 55 of the 88 seats. Voter turnout was 93%. Following the election the Constituent Assembly nominated a transitional
Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
with
Mari Alkatiri
Mari bin Amude Alkatiri ( '; 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 political unrest in the country, and again from September ...
as Chief Minister.
[On the establishment of the Council of Ministers](_blank)
United Nations
Background
The elections were held to elect 88 members of a
constituent assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
(the precursor of the
National Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
), which would be in charge of drafting the first constitution of the Asian country. These were the first free and fair elections to take place on Timorese territory in its entire history after the end of the
Portuguese colonial period and the
occupation by Indonesia (1975-1999). The elections were managed by the
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET, ), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades-long East Timorese crisis in the area occupied by Indonesian military. UNTAET provided an int ...
(UNTAET) to begin the second phase of the transition to full independence, after most of the Timorese infrastructure was destroyed by
pro-Indonesian militias following the
August 1999 independence referendum.
Of the 88 seats in the Constituent Assembly, 13 would be elected by
uninominal majority vote in representation of the thirteen
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
that make up the country, while the remaining 75 would be elected by
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
by lists. Seventeen parties presented lists for the election.
Results
Aftermath
The Constituent Assembly was installed and invested a local autonomous government on 20 September led by a Council of Ministers, the first elected government in the country's history. Fretilin's Secretary General,
Mari Alkatiri
Mari bin Amude Alkatiri ( '; 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 political unrest in the country, and again from September ...
, took over as President of the Council of Ministers in coalition with the PD, with a two-thirds majority. On 20 May 2002 the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
protectorate came to an end and the territory became independent as the Democratic Republic of East Timor. The Constituent Assembly was reconstituted as the National Parliament, and the government of Alkatiri (who changed his position to
Prime Minister
A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
) became the first constitutional government.
[On the election of a Constituent Assembly to prepare a constitution for an independent and democratic East Timor](_blank)
United Nations
The Assembly had the mandate of preparing a constitution. It had to be approved by at least 60 of the 88 members within 90 days of the Assembly's first sitting.
The new constitution was promulgated in March 2002,
Constitution of East Timor
Government of East Timor and following independence on 20 May, served as its first Parliament. Presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The ...
were held in April 2002 in which Xanana Gusmão
José Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmão (; born 20 June 1946) is an East Timorese politician. He has served as the 6th prime minister of East Timor since 2023, previously serving in that position from 2007 to 2015. A former rebel, he also served as E ...
was victorious.
See also
* List of members of the parliament of East Timor, 2001–07
References
External links
{{Authority control
Parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste
East Timor
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
Parliamentary
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
East Timor
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...