Timor-Leste's Prime-Minister offers his resignation

Prime-Minister Timor-Leste Taur Matan Ruak.

Dili, Timor-Leste - Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Taur Matan Ruak has offer his resignation after the 2020 State budget did not pass in the National Parliament on 17 January.

He has submitted a resignation letter to President of the Republic Francisco Guterres Lu Olo at the Presidential office in Aitarak-Laran Dili, Tuesday 25 February 2020.

With this situation the President will take the decision to dissolve the eighth government.

Matan Ruak stated that he continued to carry out his duties as usual until the President approved his resignation request.

“I keep working as usual. I know you journalists, this request for resignation will be valid when the President approves it. When it was not yet legalized, I remained as prime minister until the President approve it, ready commander,” Matan Ruak told reporters at the presidential office in Aitarak-Laran, Dili.

“Keep working. Ready! We also cannot leave our country without direction like a car without a driver, he said.

The eighth coalition government called the Majority Alliance Change to Progress (AMP), led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, has been divided apart because the State budget for 2020 has been blocked by the opposition and government parties.

The results of the 2020 budget vote which was debated for three days from 15 to 17 January 2020 finally did not qualify because only get 13 valid votes, 15 votes contra and 25 abstentions.

Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak said the situation in the National Parliament had shown State management in difficult situation.

According to him, the decision to announce another election or call political parties to form a new government depends on the decision of the President of the Republic.

On February 10, 2020 President of the Republic Francisco Guterres Lu Olo stated that fresh election as the final resource so he asked political parties who had seats in the national parliament to conduct political movements to be able to provide a good solution to this political impasse.

Respond to this request on February 22, 2020 the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) party led by Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, has succeeded in forming a new coalition to form a new government.  

While the Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN) party and the Popular Liberation Party (PLP) are rumored to be in opposition in the Ninth Government.

Six political parties consisting of the CNRT party, Democratic Party, KHUNTO party, UDT, PUDD and Frenti-Mudansa have signed a coalition deed to form the Ninth government.

"We will stop the political impasse and we have signed the deed. We believe that these 34 seats will guarantee the stability of the new government, "CNRT party president Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão through a press conference at the CNRT party office, Bairro Grilos, Dili Saturday, February 22, 2020.

The signing process was represented by the president and secretary of each party and was also attended by 1996 peace noble laureate Jose Ramos Horta who is currently the strongest candidate to become the prime minister for the ninth government.

Gusmão added that if this political impasse is left alone, it will bring great destruction to the country's economy, making small communities vulnerable.

The FRETILIN party consists of 23 seats and PLP with 8 seats. So the opposition coalition between the FRETILIN party and the PLP will get 31 seats in the national parliament.

The program plan offered by the new coalition that will continue the eighth government program based on the 2030 strategic plan for national development. Give full attention to people in rural areas to improve their lives, guarantee national stability as a determinant factor for national development, continue the process negotiating land and sea boundaries with Indonesia to get a fair solution to the delineation of the border between Timor-Leste and Indonesia and others.

And earlier on February 21, President Lu Olo gladly stated that he would accept and support a new coalition to form a new government in order to stop the political impasse but on February 24 his heart refused the presence of this coalition that must think carefully if they want to re-nominate nine cabinet members who are still rejected inauguration since June 2018.

"The CNRT is thinking carefully if it wants to re-nominate a list of nine people," President Lu Olo told reporters at the new building of Finance Minister's office at Aitarak-Laran in Dili, Monday 24 February 2020.

"Everyone already knows that the President of the Republic has not installed them. Finally, because only these people crossed over, rejecting the 2020 state budget, a budget for all the people, making the government and the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak just like this. Therefore to re-nominate the list of nine people, the CNRT or parties think carefully! Think carefully! I repeated again, thinking carefully ".

Many commentators who responded to President Lu Olo's statement would only extend this political impasse in Timor-Leste.

Although there has been no official statement from the new coalition that whether they will continue to put nine cabinet candidates on their list or not, according to CNRT party president Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão's statement through GRANDE INTERVISTA on GMNTV on 7 February 2020 that his party will not replacing people who are still pending because this is about the principles and credibility of his party.