Timor-Leste

Overview

East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 15,410 km² (5,400 sq mi) is located about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Australia.

East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonization of the country. In late 1975, East Timor declared its independence, but later that year was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, the other being the Philippines.

Government

The head of state of East Timor is the President of East Timor, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Although the role is largely symbolic, the president does have veto power over certain types of legislation. Following elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the Prime Minister of East Timor. As head of government, the prime minister presides over the Council of State or cabinet.

The unicameral Timorese parliament is the National Parliament or Parlamento Nacional, whose members are elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The number of seats can vary from a minimum of 52 to a maximum of 65, though it exceptionally has 88 members at present, due to this being its first term of office. The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal. East Timor is is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.

Demography

The population of East Timor is about one million. It has grown considerably recently, because of a high birth rate, but also because of the return of refugees.[citation needed] The population is especially concentrated in the area around Dili.

The Timorese are called Maubere collectively by some of their political organizations, an originally derogatory name turned into a name of pride by Fretilin. They consist of a number of distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are of mixed Malayo-Polynesian and Melanesian/Papuan descent.

Economy

In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was destroyed. From 2002 to 2005, an international program led by the United Nations, manned by civilian advisers, 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, substantially reconstructed the infrastructure.

East Timor is one of the poorest countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It was ranked 158 out of 179 countries in the 2008 UN Human Development Indicies, and fares poorly on key indicators such as life expectancy, literacy and GDP per capita.

While it has made significant progress in building an institutional framework to support economic development and promote macroeconomic stability, East Timor's economic performance since independence has been fragile. Growth contracted following the reduced international presence after 2002, before increasing in 2004 (0.3 per cent) and 2005 (2.3 per cent).

East Timor's National Development Plan identifies governance, poverty reduction and improved food security as development priorities. Objectives include reaching an annual GDP growth rate of 5 per cent in the medium term and the 50 per cent reduction of the number of people living below the poverty line by 2015. Other development priorities include strengthening the judiciary and other institutions; creating an enabling environment for civil society and business; reducing unemployment and providing skills training and education.

Legal System

Court structure and the legal system

The current legal system in East Timor is a UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law. However, the current system is to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law.

Key commercial legislation that has already been passed by Parliament includes company law, commercial registry and tax legislation providing further incentives to investors. These are based on civil as opposed to common law. The promulgation of land ownership, investment, bankruptcy, banking and insurance laws is a priority.