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Press Release
Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 30th 2026
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved two draft Decree-Laws presented by Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Finance Minister Santina José Rodrigues F. Viegas Cardoso, relating to the Statute of the Oe-Cússe Ambeno Region and the Special Development Fund for Oe-Cússe Ambeno.
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With the first draft decree-law, the aim is, more than a decade after the creation of the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cússe Ambeno, to review and update the regulatory framework governing its organisation and functioning in order to correct dysfunctions identified in its practical application and to adapt the institutional model to the current guidelines for administrative decentralisation and the strengthening of local power in Timor-Leste.
The reform aims to harmonise the Region’s regime with the model of the Municipal Authorities and the Administrative Authority of Ataúro, clarify mechanisms for government oversight, and establish a transitional period for institutional capacity-building, while strengthening cooperation between the Central and Regional Administrations and improving control, transparency, and efficiency in the management of public resources, ensuring sustained development for the benefit of the population.
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The second draft decree-law approved aims to implement the second amendment to the legal regime of the Oe-Cússe Ambeno Special Development Fund, strengthening governance, decision-making and expenditure execution, and the mechanisms for controlling and monitoring funded projects.
Among the key changes, we highlight the replacement of the current Board of Directors with a collegial Board of Trustees, maintaining the Sole Auditor as the body responsible for economic and financial oversight, as well as the creation of the RAEOA Project Secretariat, designed to provide technical and administrative support for the preparation, execution, and monitoring of investments.
This draft decree-law also aims to clarify the regime applicable to the Fund’s human resources, aligning it with the general civil service regime in force in the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cússe Ambeno, and to ensure an orderly transition to the new administration model, thereby ensuring the continuity of ongoing processes, contracts, and obligations and promoting more efficient, transparent, and results-oriented management in the economic and social development of the Region.
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The draft Decree-Law presented by the Minister of Defence, Donaciano do Rosário Gomes, which aimed to suspend, on an exceptional basis, the retirement age limit for current general officers holding the positions of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA – acronym in Portuguese), Vice CEMGFA, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA – acronym in Portuguese), was also approved.
Through this draft decree-law, the 9th Constitutional Government recognises the need, on an exceptional basis, to ensure that the current holders of the positions of CEMGFA, Vice-CEMGFA, and CEMFA remain in office until the end of their respective terms, allowing the necessary transition to future leadership, recognising the experience of the current commanders, and avoiding abrupt disruptions.
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The Council of Ministers approved the government’s draft resolution, also presented by the Minister of Defence, which ratifies the lists of military personnel who, on December 31st, 2025, will transition to reserve status and of veteran military personnel who will transition to retirement status.
This decision complies with the legal regime governing military careers, in particular the Statute of Military Personnel of the FALINTIL–Defence Forces of Timor-Leste (F-FDTL – acronym in Portuguese) and Decree-Law No. 8/2025, ensuring the administrative regularisation of transitions to the reserve and retirement for military personnel who have reached the legal age limits or meet the conditions set out in the law. The approval of this resolution also aims to ensure a fair and dignified retirement process for veterans, in line with the objectives set out in the 9th Constitutional Government Program for the area of Defence. END