Armanda Berta dos Santos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Armanda Berta dos Santos
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Santos in 2020
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| Deputy Prime Minister of East Timor | |
| In office 29 May 2020 – 1 July 2023 Serving with José Reis
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| Prime Minister | Taur Matan Ruak |
| Preceded by | Office re-established |
| Succeeded by |
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| Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion | |
| In office 22 June 2018 – 1 July 2023 |
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| Prime Minister | Taur Matan Ruak |
| Preceded by | Florentina da Conceição Pereira Martins Smith |
| Succeeded by | Verónica das Dores |
| Member of the National Parliament | |
| In office 2017–2018 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 October 1974
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| Political party | KHUNTO |
| Spouse | José dos Santos Bucar |
Armanda Berta dos Santos, born on October 11, 1974, is an important politician from East Timor. She is the leader of a political party called KHUNTO.
From May 2020 to July 2023, Ms. Santos served as one of East Timor's Deputy Prime Ministers. She worked in the government led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.
She was also the Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion in that same government. She held this position from June 2018 until the government finished its term in July 2023.
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Early Life and Education
Armanda Berta dos Santos grew up in a rural family in Maloa, which is in the Ainaro Municipality of East Timor. She studied hard and earned a Master's degree in Governance Management. This degree helps her understand how to manage government and public affairs.
Political Journey
Ms. Santos has been the leader of the KHUNTO political party since it was started in 2011.
First Elections
In the 2012 East Timorese parliamentary election, KHUNTO tried to get seats in the National Parliament. They needed to get at least 3% of the votes to have members elected. KHUNTO received 2.97% of the votes, missing the goal by only 150 votes.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In the 2017 parliamentary election, Armanda Berta dos Santos was successfully elected to the National Parliament. She was the main candidate on her party's list. While in Parliament, she became the vice-chairman of the Committee for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications. She also joined the Committee for Economic Affairs and Development.
Joining the Government
In the early election in 2018, Ms. Santos was again elected to the National Parliament. Her party, KHUNTO, was part of a group called the Alliance for Change and Progress (AMP). On June 22, 2018, she was sworn in as the Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion. Because she became a minister, she had to leave her seat in Parliament.
In March 2020, Ms. Santos was re-elected as the leader of the KHUNTO party.
Deputy Prime Minister Role
In early 2020, the AMP coalition faced some challenges. The main party in the coalition decided to have its members resign from the government. However, KHUNTO continued to support the government.
On May 12, 2020, the government decided to create two new positions for Deputy Prime Ministers. On May 29, 2020, Armanda Berta dos Santos was sworn in as one of these new Deputy Prime Ministers. She also continued to serve as the Minister for Social Solidarity and Inclusion.
Soon after, Ms. Santos led a ceremony in Dili to officially start a program. This program provided money to families to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presidential Election Campaign
While serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Santos also ran as KHUNTO's candidate in the 2022 East Timorese presidential election. During the campaign, she spoke about the importance of using local languages. She pointed out that many people in East Timor, including herself, would not be able to understand a debate held only in Portuguese. She believed that debates should be in languages everyone could understand.
In the first round of the election, she finished third out of 16 candidates. She received 56,690 votes, which was about 8.7% of the total. This result showed a shift towards younger leaders and more women in politics.
Ms. Santos's time as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ended when the new government took office on July 1, 2023.
Personal Life
Armanda Berta dos Santos is married to José dos Santos Naimori Bucar. He is the leader of a group called Kmanek Oan Rai Klaran (KORK), which is known as a ritual arts group in East Timor. Mr. Bucar also founded the KHUNTO party but chose to be an adviser, allowing Ms. Santos to take on the leadership role.
