The Relations Between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister in Timor-Leste: a Comparative Analysis of Four Presidential Terms

Timor-Leste has chosen a semi-presidential form of government in which Prime Ministers are responsible both before the assembly and the President of the Republic. Although it has been argued that the responsibility before the PR is merely institutional, Presidents have taken a different view, and asserted their political right to oversee the government's performance. The first three PRs were "independent", i.e., not affiliated to any specific party. This situation changed with the election of the current PR in 2017. Tensions that existed before have been exacerbated, and a formal "co-habitation" is in place since the early elections of 2018. The results of this situation are clear: the PR has made it clear he has a say over the very composition of the cabinet, refusing to appoint a dozen ministers proposed by the PM. Extensive use of veto powers and referral of laws to the Constitutional Court add to the tension. The paper will review the relations between PRs and PMs over the four presidents since independence in 2002.