Media Releases
- 26 of August of 2022Day-off on August 29th 2022 on the occasion of the Anniversary Celebrations of the Popular ConsultationDay-off on August 29th 2022 on the occasion of the Anniversary Celebrations of the Popular Consultationmore
- 24 of August of 2022Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 24th, 2022Approved:more
1 - legal regime of higher education institutions;
2 - Support Mission for the 2022 Guinea-Bissau Voter Registration Process (MAPRE-GB 2022 Portuguese Acronyms); and
3 - financial support for the activities of welcoming and commemorating the elevation of Dom Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, SDB, to Cardinal. - 17 of August of 2022Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 17th, 2022Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 17th, 2022
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved the draft Decree-Laws, presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, for the first amendment to Decree-Law no.15/2017, of May 17th, which creates and defines the organic structure of the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP – Portuguese acronym).
This diploma aims to give this public institute, in line with the Government's Programme, greater responsibilities regarding the qualified training of human resources in the Public Administration, namely by providing leadership programmes and advanced training programmes in Public Administration. Thus, the new role of INAP regarding professional training in the Public Administration aims to strengthen professional training as a strategic instrument for the modernization and transformation of the Public Administration, through the establishment of strategic training areas.
Also approved was the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Public Works, Abel Pires da Silva, for the second amendment to Decree-Law No. 8/2019, of April 24th, with the wording given by its first amendment approved by Decree-Law No. 50/2022, of October 14th, on the Organic Law of the Ministry of Public Works.
Given that a new Head of the Ministry of Public Works has taken office, the intention is to make the necessary changes to reorganise some of the services that make up the Ministry, to make it more efficient in the execution of its attributions.
Thus, the Directorate General of Administration and Finance is divided into two general directorates with differentiated vocations. One focused on budget execution, which comprises the National Directorates of Procurement and Budget and Finance, which also includes the Strategic Planning Unit which is now a national directorate. The second is focused on issues of the general administration of the Ministry's resources, which includes the National Directorates of Administration and Management of Assets and Human Resources, with the addition of the National Directorate of Information Technology, which aims to provide support for the digitalisation of the ministry's services.
The General Directorates that were extinguished with the appointment of the governing bodies of the public companies, Bee Timor-Leste, E.P. and Eletricidade de Timor-Leste, E.P., are also removed.
The National Directorate of Roads, Bridges and Flood Control is also divided into two national directorates, one focusing only on roads and the other on flood prevention and control, to provide the ministry with an entity with specific skills to mitigate the risks of flooding that have increasingly occurred as a result of climate change.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law on Land Registry Information, presented by the Minister of Justice, Tiago Amaral Sarmento. This draft Decree-Law had already been subject to deliberation in the meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 8th, 2022, however, due to the decision to amend Article 46, referring to the date of entry into force of the diploma, it became necessary to submit it to a new deliberation. Thus, it is now defined that the diploma will come into force on November 1st, 2022, it was previously defined that the diploma would come into force 120 days after its publication.
The Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho and the Vice Minister of State Administration, Lino de Jesus Torrezão, presented to the Council of Ministers, the Report of the Mission to Support the Electoral Census Process in Guinea-Bissau. The Timorese delegation, led by Deputy Minister Lino de Jesus Torrezão, visited Guinea-Bissau, from July 22nd to August 8th, to meet with local authorities to verify the existing conditions and identify the needs for the organization of voter registration and free and democratic elections in Guinea-Bissau, scheduled for December 18th.
Lastly, the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals, Victor da Conceição Soares and the Heads of ANPM, Timor Gap and IPG, gave a presentation on the progress in the petroleum and minerals sector. The presentation had the objective of giving the members of the Council of Ministers an overview of the main activities planned or already done, to strengthen the national petroleum industry. END - 10 of August of 2022Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 10th, 2022Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 10th, 2022
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved two draft Decree-Laws, presented by the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Taur Matan Ruak and by the Vice-Minister of the Interior, António Armindo.
The first Decree-Law refers to the professional status of the personnel with police functions in the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL – Portuguese acronym). The decree-law aims to provide the PNTL with a professional statute for its staff, with the perspective of improving the working conditions for the respective staff, aiming, on the one hand, to elevate the motivational framework and the self-esteem of the PNTL police officers, reinforcing their ability to face the growing responsibility, demand and need for efficiency in the provision of public security services, corresponding to the level of demand of the Timorese society, increasingly informed, complex and demanding, and, on the other hand, adapting them to the new social reality and the challenges of the country and the world today.
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The second Decree-Law aims to amend the remuneration scheme of the PNTL. The purpose of this amendment is to comply with the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 24 of Decree-Law No. 2/2022, of January 12th, which approved the PNTL remuneration scheme, in which the State committed to increasing the basic remuneration of the PNTL members by 15% in 2023. In addition to the planned increase in basic remuneration, the decree-law is also updated, taking into account the amendment to the Organic Law of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) approved in the meantime, and also the need to introduce a more precise wording to facilitate the interpretation of some of the articles contained in the version of the diploma currently in force.
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Also approved was the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Armindo Maia, and the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Abrão Saldanha, for the establishment of the National Sports Festival. The creation of this festival is intended to congregate the Timorese population and unite it, to celebrate sporting activity, with the inherent promotion of physical activity and the encouragement of sport in its various modalities, within the plan of physical education and in the categories of traditional, recreational, inclusive and high competition sport. The festival aims, ultimately, to be a way to promote among young people, as well as the rest of the population, the importance of sport and physical activity, and its social, economic, political and public health benefits. It will be an annual event whose structure, timing and format will be defined, also annually, by the Ministry responsible for sports.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, approving the agreement between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and g7+, on the amount, purpose, and use of the subsidy to be granted by the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to this intergovernmental organization. With this agreement, signed between the two parties last March 21st, 2022, aiming to contribute to the g7+ activities, the Government allocates, between 2022 and 2027, the amount of US$ 1.000.000 (one million American dollars) per year. This grant is to be used for the promotion of cooperation between member states and to finance the operating expenses of the g7+ and the organization of the annual ministerial meeting.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers decided to approve the procurement procedures, by international public tender, to carry out public contracts for the construction of the irrigation schemes of Laivai, in the Municipality of Lautém and Galata, in the Municipality of Baucau, according to the project presented by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pedro dos Reis. The Galata irrigation project will cover an area of 600 hectares and will benefit 750 families. The Laivai irrigation project will cover an area of 300 hectares, which includes 176 hectares of existing rice fields, and will benefit 434 families. END
- 10 of August of 2022The government of Timor-Leste extends its solidarity to South KoreaOn behalf of the people of Timor-Leste, the Government extends condolences to the families and friends of the victims of flooding caused by the heaviest rains to hit Seoul, the South Korean capital, in 80 years.more
- 09 of August of 2022Timor-Leste expresses congratulations on the 55th anniversary of ASEANThe Government of Timor-Leste, expresses warm congratulations to the member states of ASEAN and the peoples of the ASEAN on this occasion of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations.more
- 07 of August of 2022Government expresses solidarity with CubaThe Government of Timor-Leste extends its solidarity to the Government and people of Cuba, following a major fire in fuel depots, near the city of Matanzas, in western Cuba, about 100 kilometres east of Havana.more
- 03 of August of 2022Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 3rd, 2022Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 3rd, 2022
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Defence, Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus, referring to the new Superior Council for Military Defence’s Regulations.
The purpose of this diploma is to make the Superior Council for Military Defence’s Regulations compatible with the National Defence Law in force, thus revoking Government Decree no. 6/2016, of May 11th.
With this amendment, as already defined in the National Defence Law, the Superior Council for Military Defence will be integrated by Generals out of active service who have served as Supreme Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA – Portuguese acronym), Deputy Supreme Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Vice-CEMGFA – Portuguese acronym) or Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA – Portuguese acronym), to ensure the transition and implementation of the development objectives outlined in the strategic documents of Defence. The meeting of this Council is also mandatory in matters concerning the amendment of the organic structure of the F-FDTL, the proposals for appointment and dismissal for the positions of Supreme Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA – Portuguese acronym), Deputy Supreme Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Vice-CEMGFA – Portuguese acronym) and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA – Portuguese acronym) and the F-FDTL Military Build-Up.
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The draft Law Proposal, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, for the fifth amendment to Law 6/2006, of December 28th, which approves the Electoral Law for the National Parliament was approved.
The purpose of this project is to incorporate in the Electoral Law for the National Parliament the innovations introduced in 2021 in the Electoral Law for the President of the Republic, to maintain the harmonization of the rules regarding the electoral process of these sovereign bodies.
Thus, the new rules on the opening hours of polling centres, the permission for journalists covering the parliamentary election to vote at the polling centre closest to where they are working, the obligation for voters to identify themselves only using valid personal identification documents, or the establishment of the election monitor position, with functions similar to those of election observers, are transposed to the Electoral Law for the National Parliament.
Some improvements have also been made to the norms, clarifying that at the national tabulation meeting, the CNE makes the final decision on invalid votes and that the elements on the ballot paper include the order number of each candidacy resulting from the drawing of lots for the lists of candidates.
Lastly, one of the main innovations of the 2021 presidential election was adopted, the parallel voting centres, although with a new configuration. Thirteen parallel voting centres will be installed in Dili, each one associated with a municipality and the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno (RAEOA - Portuguese Acronym), where any voter registered in a geographical unit of registration located outside the municipality of Dili, and who does not wish to vote in his/her original voting centre, can register.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, also presented by Minister Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, for the third amendment to the Organic of the Ministry of State Administration (MAE – Portuguese acronym).
This legislative initiative is related to the need to establish a line of action and coordination between the Minister of State Administration and the Executive Secretary of the Technical Secretariat of the National Programme for the Development of Villages (Sucos) (PNDS – Portuguese acronym), to allow a greater and closer follow-up of the programmes and activities executed by the PNDS and its decision making. In this context, the Technical Secretariat of the PNDS is the central service of the MAE which, under the dependence of the Minister, is responsible for the practice of material acts necessary for the exercise of attributions regarding the management of the PNDS.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Oil and Minerals, Victor da Conceição Soares, which aims to extend the validity of Decree Law 18/2022, of 19 April, which established the legal framework for granting a financial subsidy of an exceptional and transitional nature to reduce the economic impact of the increase in fuel prices to be allocated to public transport operators and purchasers of fuel for agricultural and fishing activities, until 31 October 2022. All other conditions for granting the fuel subsidy previously provided for, remain unchanged.
Given that the exceptional conditions for fuel price increases in the market remain unusually unstable, there is still a need for the Government to continue to support public transport operators and purchasers of fuel for agricultural and fishing activities, to mitigate the impact of these increases on such an important raw material for the development of the national economy, as is the price of fuel.
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The Council of Ministers decided to appoint the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals, Victor da Conceição Soares, as the representative of the State's rights, as a shareholder in the Timor-Leste’s Mining Company (Companhia Mineira de Timor-Leste, SA (CMTL)).
The draft resolution was presented by the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals. This deliberation takes into account what is defined in Decree-Law 43/2022, of June 8th, which established CMTL, and determines that the State’s rights as a shareholder are exercised through the individual designated by deliberation of the Council of Ministers, under the proposal of the member of the Government responsible for the area of mineral resources.
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The Minister of Petroleum and Minerals also presented the draft resolution, also approved by the Council of Ministers, on the approval of the name of Eliud de Jesus Gomes, as Chairman of the Board of Directors, to be elected by the General Assembly, under the proposal of the member of the Government responsible for the area of mineral resources at Companhia Mineira de Timor-Leste, SA, following the provisions of Decree Law 43/2022, of June 8th, which established CMTL.
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The Council of Ministers decided to authorize the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, to start negotiating with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the specific conditions of a loan for the project to supply drinking water to the western part of Dili.
Complementary to the other ongoing projects for the improvement of the water supply in the city of Dili, the Government now intends to mobilize financial assistance in the form of loans for the improvement of the water supply to the western part of the city. Given the project's characteristics and the funding required, the Asian Development Bank appears to be the appropriate counterpart to provide the funding.
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Lastly, the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, gave a presentation on the proposed calendar for next year's parliamentary elections. The legislature comprises five legislative sessions and each legislative session lasts for one year, beginning on 15 September and ending on 14 September of the following year. In the case of dissolution (early parliamentary election), the elected National Parliament shall commence a new legislature, the duration of which shall be increased by the time necessary to complete the period corresponding to the legislative session in progress on the date of the election. END
