Jose Ramos Horta was elected president of Timor Leste for the period 2022-2027. He won with 62.09% of the vote in the second round, against incumbent 'Lu Olo' Guterres. Ramos Horta previously led Timor Leste in 2007-2012.
In the first round, four women competed in the election, namely Milena Pires, Isabel Ferreira, Armanda Berta dos Santos, and Angela Freitas. Armanda Berta dos Santos, got the third most votes with 8.7 percent. She is the president of Kmanek Haburas Unidade National Timor (KHUNTO).
“The many votes for Armanda mean a lot to us. Many people trust women to sit at the decision-making level and lead the nation. In addition, women also show that they have the courage and confidence to compete with men in elections,” said HAMNASA Program Manager, Theresia Zinha, to rumahpemilu.org (8/8).
The victory of Ramos Horta to the presidency was appreciated by Zinha. Ramos Horta appointed 5 women to the Cabinet of Ministers. However, there has been no special program for women initiated by Ramos Horta.
“The first commitment that the President showed to the people of Timor Leste was starting from a position in the cabinet. Many women were appointed as ministers. There are even people with disability,” said Zinha.
5 women were appointed as ministers namely, Armanda Berta dos Santos as Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno as Minister of Internal Relations and Cooperation, Odete Maria Freitas Belo as Minister of Health, Signi Chandrawati Verdial as Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity, Inacia da Conceição Teixeira as Deputy Minister of Community and Cultural Tourism, and Maria do Rosário Fátima Correia as Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion.
In the second round of the 2022 Timor Leste Presidential Election, 646,389 out of 859,925 voters cast ballots, or a participation rate of 75 percent. 5,422 or 0.84 percent of the votes were invalid.
