Government of East Timor
The government of East Timor (Timor-Leste), ( tetum Governu / Portuguese Governo ) is the senior executive of the Southeast Asian state of East Timor (Timor-Leste).
Structure and organs
The principles of the system of government are laid down in Section IV Government of the East Timorese Constitution . The definition and structure are described in Chapter 1 in Articles 103 to 105, Chapter 2 reflects the structure and responsibilities in Articles 106 to 114 and Chapter 3 deals with the competencies in Articles 115 to 117.
The government consists of the main features:
- the prime minister
- one or more Deputy Prime Ministers
- the ministers
- one or more deputy ministers
- the state secretaries
The government is “the sovereign body for the control and implementation of the general policy of the country and the highest body of public administration .” (Art. 103. °) It is responsible to the President and the National Parliament (Art. 107. °).
At the start of work, the government must draw up a government program in which objectives and tasks are proposed and the measures to be taken and the main political guidelines for their implementation are presented. (Art. 108. ° Governu nian Programa / Programa do Governo ). It is then submitted to Parliament by the Prime Minister. There it can be rejected with an absolute majority and a vote of confidence can be asked (Article 109). Otherwise, the government will begin its work.
Head of Government: The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister ( Primeiru-Ministru / Primeiro-Ministro ) is the head of government . It is nominated by the political party or coalition that has a parliamentary majority and appointed by the President - after consultation with the parties represented in Parliament (Article 106 (1)). The Prime Minister then proposes the other members of the Government, who are also appointed by the President (Article 106 (2)).
The Prime Minister chairs the Council of Ministers, directs the general policy of the government and coordinates the activities of all ministers, without prejudice to the direct responsibility of each of the respective ministries, and informs the President of questions relating to the internal and external policy of the government (Article 117, paragraph 1). .
The appointment of one or more Deputy Prime Ministers (Vise-Primeiru-Ministru / Vice-Primeiro-Ministro) is possible (Article 104 (2)). In the VI. (2015–2017) and VII. Government (2017–2018) there was no Deputy Prime Minister. In return, several ministers were highlighted as "ministers of state" in the cabinet.
Ministers and Ministries
The ministers ( Ministru / Ministro ) direct the policies that are set for their ministries. You have a seat and vote in the Council of Ministers and are responsible for “maintaining relations between the government and the other organs of the state”.
The statutory ordinances are signed by the Prime Minister and the competent minister. (Article 117, paragraphs 2 and 3).
Departments
Responsibility for the various ministries varies considerably in the various governments. The lists given here reflect the ministers and ministries responsible for the various departments, regardless of the actual designation of the offices and authorities.
- Foreign Ministry ( Foreign Minister ): The Foreign Ministry is one of the few areas that is not distributed in different links between the ministries.
- Ministry of Education ( Education Minister ): The areas of youth and sport are often assigned to the education department. For the first time in the 8th government there was a division between two ministries: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport MEJD and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture MESCC.
- Finance Ministry ( Finance Minister ): The finance department is completely independent.
- Ministry of Health ( Minister of Health )
- Ministry of the Interior ( Interior Minister ): The interior department was merged several times with the defense department to form one ministry. His responsibilities include internal security and border controls.
- Ministry of Justice ( Minister of Justice ): The justice department is entirely independent.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries ( Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries ); In most of the East Timorese governments this portfolio is led by a minister. In addition to agriculture and fishing, it is also responsible for forestry, water management and the management of national parks and nature reserves.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals ( Minister of Petroleum and Minerals ): Since the First Government, responsibility for the country's mineral resources has been assigned to a separate ministry.
- Ministry of Public Works ( Minister of Public Works )
- Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Media ( Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Media )
- Ministry of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers ( Minister of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers )
- Ministry of State Administration ( Minister of State Administration )
- Ministry of Transport and Communication ( Minister of Transport and Communication )
- Ministry of Social Affairs ( Minister of Social Affairs )
- Tourism Ministry ( Tourism Minister ): At times as an independent ministry, it is usually combined with other departments in ministries. For example, as part of economic issues or in connection with art and culture.
- Environment Ministry ( Environment Minister ): A ministry responsible only for the environment did not previously exist in East Timor. Usually responsibility lies with one of the ministries for economic issues, sometimes with its own state secretary for the subject. The management of the national parks and nature reserves is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which is also responsible for the conservation of flora and fauna .
- Defense Ministry ( Defense Minister ): The defense department has been taken over by the Prime Minister himself several times and has also been supplemented with the interior department and responsibility for internal security.
- Ministry of Veterans ( Minister of Veterans )
- Ministry of Economic Affairs (trade and industry) ( Minister of Economy (trade and industry)): The designation and layout of the ministries responsible for economic issues varies greatly in the individual governments. Initially titled as the Ministry of Development, responsibility was also assumed by a Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry or for Trade, Industry and the Environment. If the environmental department always belongs to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, tourism can sometimes be managed independently. With the separation of economy on the one hand and trade and industry on the other, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is responsible for microfinance and cooperatives, while companies and the environment department are then looked after by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers ( Konsellu Ministru sira-nian / Conselho de Ministros ) is chaired by the Prime Minister and consists of the latter, the Vice-Prime Ministers and the Ministers. The Deputy Ministers and State Secretaries take part in the Council of Ministers but are not entitled to vote (Article 105). In the Council of Ministers the general guidelines of the government's policy and its implementation are decided. (Article 116). In addition, he has a number of independent skills, for example on foreign policy and public finances.
See also
- Cabinet of East Timor - List of governments and ministerial portfolios
Web links
- Official Government Website (English)
supporting documents
- Konstituisaun Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste . (tet), Constituição da República Democrática de Timor-Leste . (both PDF; Portuguese) jornal.gov.tl
- Decree on the Structure of the IV Government. ( Memento of December 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; Portuguese)
- Program of the IV Government (English; PDF; 307 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ « O Governo é o órgão de soberania responsável pela condução e execução da política geral do país eo órgão superior da Administração Pública. »Art. 103. ° Constituição (Definição)
- ^ Members of the incoming Sixth Constitutional Government meet , February 12, 2015. Website of the government of Timor-Lestes (English); accessed on February 16, 2015
- ↑ SAPO: VII Governo constitucional de Timor-Leste toma hoje posse incompleto , September 15, 2017, accessed on September 15, 2017.
- ↑ " Assegurar as Relações entre o Governo e os demais órgãos do Estado, No Ambito do respectivo Ministério. »Art. 117. ° 2b Constituição