The Timor-Leste National Parliament today generally approved the proposal for a State General Budget (OGE) for 2027, with 41 votes in favour and 23 abstentions from the opposition bench.
© Lusa
11/11/2026
by
Lusa
O The National Parliament of Timor-Leste today generally approved the proposal for a State General Budget (OGE) for 2027, with 41 votes in favour and 23 abstentions from the opposition bench.
The document will now proceed to debate and vote in the specialty, from November 24.
The proposal for a State general budget for 2027 provides for a consolidated overall amount of USD 2.57 billion (EUR 2.27 billion).
At the last moment of the debate, which took place over three days, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão acknowledged that the quality of life of the population is still very poor.
“The government welcomes the recommendations and criticisms to further improve its work next year,” said the Prime Minister, stressing that East Timor needs to aim for a better future for the coming years, to ensure more consistent development.
The leader of the Revolutionary Front of Timor-Leste Independente (FRETILIN), Aniceto Guterres, welcomed the intervention of the Prime Minister, considering his willingness to recognize the errors and failures committed, with a view to their correction and implementation of new measures.
Despite this, the opposition bench maintained criticism of the health, education and agriculture sectors, whose budget appropriations do not total 20% of the total budget.
“Our health system has collapsed and is retreating significantly. Education is weakened and the quality of education is weak. Many young people do not attend school, have no job or access to training”, warned Aniceto Guterres.
The FRETILIN bench also expressed concern about the high levels of poverty in rural areas, corruption and the fact that it considers that the budget benefits only certain groups.
In turn, the chairperson of the Popular Liberation Party (PLP), Angelina Sarmento, criticized the fact that the budget responds more to political conveniences at the time than to the future strategic needs of East Timor.
The party of former Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak also criticized the allocations for strategic sectors that could boost the economy in the future.
“ One concrete example is that of the productive sectors, which continue to receive only a portion of 2.1% of the budget, including agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, manufacturing industry, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, digital economy, research and innovation,” said Ms Sarmento.
The deputy of the National Congress of Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), Gabriel Soares, said that the OGE proposal for 2027 should not be understood only as a technical document or an accounting plan, but as an instrument of power that carries a great hope to consolidate and strengthen the development already in progress.
“This General Budget of the State also appears as a response to the great and small challenges facing the State and the population, bringing a new light to our country,” concluded the deputy of the government leader’s party.