East Timor. Democratic Republic of East Timor
Located on the island of Timor, which is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, included in the Malay (Indonesian) archipelago.
It occupies the eastern half of the island, a small enclave of Oecussi in its western part, and the adjacent islands of Kambing and Jaco. The territory covers 14.8 thousand km². The administrative-territorial division consists of 13 districts. The capital is Dili. The population is 1 million (2004).
The official languages are Tetum and Portuguese. English and Indonesian have working language status. The overwhelming majority of the population speaks Tetum and Indonesian. The main religion is Catholicism, with animists, Muslims, Protestants, and Buddhists also present. The currency is the US dollar.
Diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation were established on May 20, 2002.
The national holiday is November 28 - the Day of Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (1975).
From the 17th century until 1974, East Timor was a colony of Portugal. After the Carnation Revolution of 1974,
Portugal granted its colonies the right to self-determination. In August 1975, a civil war broke out between supporters of East Timorese independence and those advocating integration with Indonesia. On December 7, 1975, Indonesian troops seized the city of Dili and soon occupied all major settlements in East Timor. In 1976, this territory was declared a province of Indonesia. The UN General Assembly and Security Council condemned Indonesia's actions, demanded the withdrawal of armed forces, and called for the East Timorese population to exercise their right to self-determination.
Under pressure from the international community, Jakarta agreed to hold a referendum on August 30, 1999, in which nearly 80% of East Timorese voted for independence. Following the announcement of the voting results, widespread riots, armed violence, and killings began. About 200,000 residents left the territory. To restore peace and security in East Timor, multinational forces were sent under a UN Security Council decision, which were later replaced by UN peacekeeping forces. In accordance with a UN Security Council resolution, a United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was established to assist in creating an independent state in the territory.
East Timor's independence was confirmed on May 20, 2002.
Since building a viable and stable state still requires significant support from the international community, a UN presence remains in East Timor by decision of the UN Security Council. For this purpose, the United Nations Mission in Support of East Timor (UNMISET) was established to assist in the development of governmental structures, perform temporary functions in maintaining law and order and state security, and help establish a police service. On May 20, 2005, UNMISET ceased to exist, and a United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) was established in its place.
East Timor is a unitary parliamentary republic. The head of state is the president (since 2002 - Xanana Gusmão), elected by direct vote for a term of 5 years.
The executive power belongs to the government, headed by the prime minister (since 2002 - Mari Alkatiri).
The unicameral parliament has broad powers. It consists of 88 deputies, including the prime minister and government members. The current assembly is dominated by the FRETILIN party (57.4%), while other parties include the Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party of East Timor, and the Timorese Social Democratic Association - each holding less than 10% of parliamentary seats.
East Timor is classified as one of the least developed countries in the world. The economy is extremely underdeveloped, primarily based on agriculture, which employs over 80% of the population. The main products are coffee (producing up to 10,000 tons annually), corn, and rice. Fishing and timber harvesting are poorly developed. The average annual income per capita is $410 (about 2/3 of the population officially lives below the poverty line).
The government exists thanks to massive financial support from the international community, provided both through the so-called international donor club and on a bilateral basis.
According to the constitution, in the foreign policy sphere, the Democratic Republic of East Timor is oriented towards developing friendly relations with all countries of the world, based on cooperation, mutual equality, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and human rights in the interests of peaceful conflict resolution, disarmament, the creation of a collective security system, and a new, more just international economic order. The constitution also emphasizes East Timor's focus on "privileged relations with countries of the Portuguese-speaking community" and "special ties of friendship and cooperation" with neighboring countries and regional countries.
The Democratic Republic of East Timor is a member of the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the World Bank, the IMF, and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
The press is underdeveloped. The most popular newspapers are "Timor Post" and "Suara Timor Lorosae," which are published in both print and electronic formats. There is state television.
