Today, September 15^th, 2023, the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, swore in Felícia Claudinanda da Cruz Carvalho as the new Vice Minister of Finance of the 9th Constitutional Government in a ceremony held at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili. 

Felícia Carvalho succeeds Hélder Lopes, who took over as Governor of the Central Bank of Timor-Leste (BCTL- Portuguese acronym) on September 13^th. 

Previously, Felícia Carvalho was an advisor to the former Minister of Finance, Emília Pires, and was responsible for the Development Partners Management Unit at the Ministry of Finance. More recently, she was an advisor to the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion.

After taking office, Felícia Carvalho stated that it was “a great honour to take up the Vice Minister of Finance” post and thanked “the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister for their trust”.

The new Vice Minister also pledged to “work together with the entire team at the Ministry of Finance to do a good job in favour of the people”. 

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão justified the choice of Felícia Carvalho on the grounds of her knowledge of the financial sector and her performance in the Ministry of Finance.