Milena Pires announces presidential candidacy in East Timor

A former Timorese MP Milena Pires announced today the intention to run for Presidential elections in Timor-Leste, which will take place in March 2027.

“ Today, I have the honour to announce the intention of submitting my candidacy, as an independent candidate, to the Presidency of the Republic for mandate 2027-2032, when the President of the Republic decrees the date of the presidential elections,” Milena Pires said.

The former representative of East Timor to the United Nations spoke at the Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum, which considered a “sacred space”, because it preserves the memory of who the Timorese people are.

“ I take this step not by seeking political power or privileges, but by a sincere desire to serve our people and to assume the responsibilities of the Presidency with humility, integrity, compassion and empathy”, said Milena Pires.

Milena Pires, who was a candidate in the last presidential elections won by José Ramos-Horta, explained that she made the decision after in the last five months having travelled all the municipalities of the country, where she contacted young people, women, students, farmers and workers.

“ During the dialogues, I was asked to convey to the competent authorities what I have heard and not to forget those concerns if, one day, I was in a position that would allow me to help find solutions,” Milena Pires explained.

Following those dialogues and listening to people from different generations, Milena Pires said she made the decision.

In his speech, Milena Pires also stressed that in the next five years Timor-Leste will have to “face and manage important strategic challenges”, including the transition of leadership and fiscal sustainability, referring to the management of the Oil Fund, which was the source of its creation “intergenerational equity”.

Other challenges indicated by Milena Pires were integration into the Association of South-East Asian Nations and the priority of “turning membership into concrete benefits” for the population, climate change and demographic dividend.

“ The youth of the Timorese population can become a demographic dividend or a burden for the country, depending on the ability to provide young people with an effective transition from school to the world of work,” he said.

Finally, Milena Pires stressed the importance of East Timor to prepare to face emerging and increasingly complex threats, such as organised crime, human trafficking, illicit financial flows, cybercrime and the challenges associated with artificial intelligence.

In addition to Milena Pires, they have already publicly expressed their intention to apply to the next presidential candidate former Prime Minister Rui Araújo, the Secretary General of the National Student Resistance of Timor-Leste (Renetil), Joaquim da Fonseca.