Francisco Guterres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francisco Guterres
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017
|
|
| 6th President of East Timor | |
| In office 20 May 2017 – 20 May 2022 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rui Maria de Araújo Mari Alkatiri Taur Matan Ruak |
| Preceded by | Taur Matan Ruak |
| Succeeded by | José Ramos-Horta |
| 1st President of the National Parliament | |
| In office 20 May 2002 – 31 July 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Fernando de Araújo |
| President of the Constituent Assembly | |
| In office 15 September 2001 – 20 May 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Himself as (President of the National Parliament) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1954 Ossu, Portuguese Timor |
| Political party | Fretilin |
| Spouse | Cidália Lopes Nobre Mouzinho Guterres |
| Signature |  |
Francisco Guterres, often called Lú-Olo, was the 6th president of East Timor from 2017 to 2022. He was born on September 7, 1954. He is also the leader of the political party Fretilin. Before becoming president, he was the first president of the National Parliament of East Timor from 2002 to 2007.
Guterres ran for president several times as the Fretilin candidate. He tried in the 2007 and 2012 elections but lost in the second round both times. In the 2017 election, he won with help from former prime minister Xanana Gusmão and his party, CNRT. He ran for re-election in 2022 but was defeated by José Ramos-Horta. He is seen as a politician who supports centre-left ideas.
Contents
Early Life
Francisco Guterres was born in Ossu in 1954. He has said that he came from "a poor family, of humble people." He is a Roman Catholic and used to be a guerrilla fighter.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
In 1998, at a special meeting of the Fretilin party in Sydney, Australia, Guterres was chosen to lead the Council of Armed Resistance. In July 2001, he became the president of Fretilin.
Guterres was elected to the Constituent Assembly in August 2001. This assembly was created to write East Timor's constitution. He was then chosen by the assembly to be its president. When East Timor became independent in May 2002, the Constituent Assembly changed into the National Parliament. Guterres continued as its president.
Running for President
First Presidential Election (2007)
In the 2007 presidential election, Guterres was the candidate for Fretilin. He promised to help ordinary people. However, some Fretilin members supported Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta, who was running as an independent.
In the first round of voting on April 9, Guterres came in first place with 27.89% of the votes. He then faced Ramos-Horta in the second round in May. Guterres lost this round, getting 31% of the votes compared to Ramos-Horta's 69%. He accepted the results and congratulated Ramos-Horta.
Re-election to Parliament (2007)
Guterres was re-elected to parliament in the June 2007 parliamentary election. He was the first name on Fretilin's list of candidates.
Second Presidential Election (2012)
Guterres ran for president a second time in the 2012 presidential election. He was again the Fretilin candidate. He won the most votes in the first round but was defeated in the second round by Taur Matan Ruak.
Becoming President (2017)
In the 2017 presidential election, Guterres ran for president for the third time. This time, he had the support of former prime minister Xanana Gusmão and his party, National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT). Early results showed that he won more than 50% of the votes in the first round.
Guterres officially became president on May 20, 2017. He was the first president of East Timor to be elected as a candidate from a specific political party.
Leading During the Pandemic
In 2020, Guterres considered stepping down, but he changed his mind to help the country deal with the Coronavirus Pandemic. In the summer of 2021, he started a campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated against the virus. He talked about how important the vaccine was. Before this campaign, several rules were put in place to make people wear masks. Guterres has generally been praised for how he managed the pandemic. The number of COVID cases in East Timor dropped a lot after the vaccination campaign began.
Presidential Election (2022)
Guterres ran for re-election in 2022. However, he was defeated by José Ramos-Horta in the second round. Ramos-Horta became president in a peaceful transfer of power on May 20, 2022. This date also marked the 20th anniversary of East Timor's independence.
See also
In Spanish: Francisco Guterres para niños
