Current Political Situation

After serving as the territory's governing authority for more than two and a half years, the United Nations (UN) turned over power to an independent East Timorese government on May 20, 2002. East Timor's road to sovereignty has been long and painful-more than four centuries under the Portuguese colonial regime were succeeded by nearly 25 years of Indonesian military rule. Following the August 1999 referendum and the systematic violence that displaced more than half of the entire population and destroyed more than 70 percent of all infrastructure, the territory came under the stewardship of the UN. Full independence was achieved after East Timor's first free election in 2001. The election was internationally recognized as free and fair.

In April 2006, East Timor's fledgling democracy came under threat when violence erupted in Dili after the dismissal of approximately 600 soldiers. Although the violence has abated, life in Dili has not returned to normal. Low level violence continues to be a problem and nearly 29,000 Timorese remain in refugee camps. It is in this environment that East Timorese will go to the polls to elect a new president on April 9.

NDI Programs

Since 2001, NDI's programs in East Timor have promoted a politically aware and active citizenry through participatory grassroots education and organizing initiatives; the strengthening of civilian oversight in the country's security sector; and the development of the National Parliament's capacity to conduct effective public outreach.

In October 2005, the Institute inaugurated a program to strengthen newly elected suco (village) councils' capacity and to support civic and voter education initiatives by suco council and local community groups. The curriculum for the suco council orientation includes: understanding of the roles and responsibilities of elected officials; public meeting organization; agenda setting; effective government interaction; prioritization of and response to community needs; and the inclusion of women and youth in suco councils. NDI is also assisting an emerging coalition of civil society organizations (KOMEG) to conduct non-partisan domestic election monitoring for the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as to conduct voter education initiatives on constitutional citizens' rights, voting rights, and the electoral system.

In March 2004, NDI initiated educational discussions at the grassroots level to continue its work on supporting the democratic development of the security sector in East Timor through confidence-building, education, and capacity developing activities for civilians and newly elected governing bodies. This program helps citizens organize themselves to participate in security sector decision-making processes and further their understanding of security issues. The program has aimed to incorporate a broad range of groups reflecting the wide interest in security issues in East Timorese society.

Past NDI Programs

NDI's presence in East Timor began with a series of consultations with political, religious, and civic leaders in 1999 and 2000. Prior to the August 2001 elections, NDI worked with political party leaders to support multiparty dialogue. Together, they developed an election code of conduct and promoted candidates at the district level in an effort to reduce the likelihood of violence and to bolster popular confidence in the elections. In June 2001, NDI initiated Civic Forum in East Timor, a participatory grassroots civic education program that built sustained citizen participation in political processes in anticipation of the 2002 national elections. Civic Forum participants also involved local officials and members of parliament in with their communities to discuss local concerns and possible solutions. This interaction helped establish constructive relations among public authorities and East Timorese citizens. NDI also helped to organize the country's first presidential debates in 2002.

In July 2003, NDI initiated a program to help strengthen the capacity of the National Parliament to conduct public outreach and develop better constituency relations. The program built on a series of community meetings in the 65 sub-districts across the country that provided citizens with access to parliamentarians and encouraged parliamentarians to consider feasible approaches to strengthening relations with the electorate.

NDI has also conducted innovative research of public perspectives on the transition process and the development of democratic institutions. The use of focus groups introduced a new methodology for civic programming in East Timor: one in which Timorese citizens play an active and primary role.

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