East Timor’s new President Jose Ramos-Horta (L), seen here after winning the election on April 21, 2022, was sworn in as the nation’s new leader on May 19, 2022
Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was inaugurated as East Timor’s president on Friday, pledging to break a longstanding political deadlock in Southeast Asia’s youngest country as it celebrated its 20th independence anniversary.
The former Portuguese colony, which became independent from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation, marked the occasion with a concert and fireworks for thousands in the capital Dili.
In a wide-ranging speech at parliament delivered in four languages in the early hours of Friday, Ramos-Horta called for national unity between rival parties that have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years.
“Peace will only be real and lasting when it is achieved through dialogue and mutual respect in which neither party feels coerced and humiliated,” he added, addressing a crowd of military and diplomatic personnel.
The impasse has seen the government fail to pass budgets for several years, economically paralysing the mostly rural country of 1.3 million people.
In his speech Ramos-Horta also spoke of helping to preserve “regional and global peace” and expanding bilateral relations with China, while praising the United States for its role in developing the country’s infrastructure.
“The Timorese people have much to be proud of in their nation’s young history, ensuring remarkable levels of freedoms… that allows democracy to flourish,” Blinken said in a statement.
The victory gave Ramos-Horta his second term in office. He served his first stint from 2007 to 2012.
The new president will have to help develop the country’s economy, which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and where the World Bank has said 42 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
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