Armanda Berta dos Santos

Armanda Berta dos Santos
Santos in 2020
Deputy Prime Minister of Timor-Leste
In office
29 May 2020 – 1 July 2023
Serving with José Reis
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byOffice re-established
Succeeded by
Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion
In office
22 June 2018 – 1 July 2023
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byFlorentina Martins Smith
Succeeded byVerónica das Dores
Member of Parliament
In office
5 September 2017 – 22 June 2018
President of KHUNTO
Incumbent
Assumed office
2011
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born (1974-10-11) 11 October 1974
Dili, Portuguese Timor (now Timor-Leste)
PartyKHUNTO
SpouseJosé dos Santos Bucar
EducationUniversidade da Paz
Universitas Teknologi Surabaya

Armanda Berta dos Santos (born 11 October 1974) is an East Timorese politician and president of the Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan (KHUNTO) political party.

Santos was raised in Ainaro Municipality and was involved in clandestine activities during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. In 2011, she and her husband José dos Santos "Naimori" Bucar founded KHUNTO, which is closely linked to the Kmanek Oan Rai Klaran (KORK) martial arts group. In the 2017 parliamentary election, she was elected to the National Parliament of Timor-Leste.

After the 2018 election, became Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion in the VIII Constitutional Government, a coalition government comprising KHUNTO, the CNRT, and the Democratic Party. When a reorganized coalition was formed in 2020, she became one of Timor-Leste's two Deputy Prime Ministers,[note 1] serving until the government's dissolution in June 2023.

Santos is running as KHUNTO's candidate in the 2027 East Timorese presidential election.

Early life and education

Santos was born on 11 October 1974 in the Maloa, Dili, in what was then Portuguese Timor, to a poor family.[1][2][3] Following the Indonesian invasion and occupation of East Timor beginning in 1975, her family fled to the forests, where they remained for five years.[1] In 1980, they emerged from hiding and settled in a town in Ainaro Municipality, where Santos completed her primary through secondary education.[1][3] Like many East Timorese women, Santos was involved in clandestine resistance activities against the Indonesian occupation, going by the code name "Labok".[1] In 1994, she joined the clandestine organization FITUN with her husband José dos Santos "Naimori" Bucar, operating in the Aileu, Ainaro, Cova Lima, and Manufahi areas.[1]

In 2012, she earned an undergraduate degree in management from Universidade da Paz in Dili.[1][3] She continued her studies at Universitas Teknologi Surabaya in Surabaya, Indonesia, earning a master's degree in governmental management in 2015.[1][3]

Political career

Santos and her husband José dos Santos "Naimori" Bucar in 2022

Since 2011, Santos has been president of Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan (KHUNTO), with her husband José dos Santos "Naimori" Bucar serving as the party's supreme leader.[1][4] The party is closely linked with the Kmanek Oan Rai Klaran (KORK) ritual arts group, of which Naimori is the leader.[1][4][5] The party runs on an anti-corruption platform and draws its support largely from young, rural voters with connections to martial arts groups.[4][5][6]

In KHUNTO's electoral debut in the 2012 parliamentary election, the party won 2.97% of the popular vote, just short of the 3% electoral threshold to earn seats in Timor-Leste's National Parliament.[1][4][7] In the 2017 parliamentary election, KHUNTO won 6.5 of votes and five seats in parliament, including Santos, who topped KHUNTO's party list.[5][8] In parliament, Santos served as vice chair of the infrastructure, transport, and communications committee and as a member of the economic affairs and development committee.[9]

Following the 2017 election, KHUNTO played the role of kingmaker in the subsequent negotiations to form a new government.[6] Initially forming a deal with Fretilin—the first-placing party in the election—and the Democratic Party, KHUNTO backed out at the last minute, eliminating new Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's parliamentary majority.[5][10] In January 2018, President Francisco Guterres dissolved the parliament and called for new elections.[10]

In the 2018 parliamentary election, KHUNTO ran as part of the Alliance for Change and Progress (AMP), along with the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) and the People's Liberation Party (PLP).[1][11] On election day, the AMP received nearly half of the popular vote and won a 34-seat majority of seats in parliament.[11] Santos, who was placed third on the AMP's candidate list, was re-elected to parliament.[12] On 22 June 2018, she was sworn in as Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion in the VIII Constitutional Government.[1][3][13][14] Upon becoming a minister, she vacated her seat in parliament, in accordance with Timor-Leste's election law. In March 2020, at KHUNTO's second national congress, Santos was reelected as the party's president for the period of 2020 to 2024.[15]

Following a breakdown of the AMP alliance in the first months of 2020, the CNRT—the leading party in the coalition—decided on 30 April 2020 that its members serving in the VIII Constitutional Government would resign their positions.[16] KHUNTO and the PLP remained in the government and went on to form a new coalition with Fretilin and the Democratic Party on 12 May 2020.[6][17] Santos retained her position as Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion and was inaugurated on 29 May 2020 as one of two new Deputy Prime Ministers, along with José Reis of Fretilin.[17][18][19]

While serving in the VIII Constitutional Government, Santos ran as KHUNTO's candidate in the 2022 presidential election.[1][20][21][22] In an analysis published by the University of Melbourne in Australia, she was described as "an enigmatic candidate... [whose] gender, socio-economic status and rural background mark her out as an outsider from the usual Dili political and civil society elite."[2] During the campaign, Santos was the subject of mockery on social media after she objected to a requirement that the national presidential debate be conducted in Portuguese.[2] She pointed out that neither she, nor the majority of Timor-Leste's population, would be able to participate in or even understand such a debate.[2] On election day, Santos won 56,690 votes (8.7% of the total), finishing third after José Ramos-Horta (CNRT) and Francisco Guterres (Fretilin).[23]

In the 2023 parliamentary election, KHUNTO won 7.5% of the vote and five seats in the National Parliament.[24] Santos was first on KHUNTO's candidate list and was a member-elect following the election, but did not take her seat in parliament.[25][26][27] Her tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and minister ended when the new IX Constitutional Government took office on 1 July 2023.[19][28] In April 2024, Santos was re-elected as president of KHUNTO at the party's fourth national congress.[29][30]

On 24 May 2026, KHUNTO announced that it had nominated Santos as its candidate in the 2027 presidential election.[19][31][32][33]

References

Footnote

  1. ↑ The Constitution of Timor-Leste provides, in sections 104 and 105, for the appointment of officials referred to in its English language version as "Deputy Ministers". In other English language publications, those officials are commonly referred to as "Vice Ministers", even though the word "Vice", in context, arguably has a different meaning in English from the word "Deputy". In this article, the constitutional expression "Deputy" is used.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Amaral, Jose Sarito (4 March 2022). "Koñese Ita-nia Kandidatu Berta no Milagre KHUNTO: Zero to Hero" [Get to Know Candidate Berta and the KHUNTO Miracle: Zero to Hero]. Jornal Independente. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mok, Quintiliano; Niner, Sara; Palmer, Lisa (2 March 2022). "More inclusive analysis needed of presidential elections in Timor-Leste". Election Watch. University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Moniz, Armandina (16 March 2022). "Armanda Berta mehi servi povu-nasaun Timor-Leste ho fuan" [Armanda Berta dreams of serving the people and nation of Timor-Leste with heart]. TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (in Tetum). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ingram, Sue (28 June 2018). "Rough Ride Ahead? Leading Timor-Leste's Coalition Government". Australian Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Aspinall, Edward; Scambary, James (3 November 2017). "Fighting corruption with spiritual power in East Timor". New Mandala. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Rahmani, Bardia (1 June 2020). "Timor-Leste's New Kingmakers". The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Pawelz, Janina; Myrttinen, Henri (2012). "Wahlen in Timor-Leste: Feuerprobe für Sicherheit und Konsolidierung" [Timor-Leste Elections: Trial by fire for security and consolidation] (PDF). GIGA Focus (in German) (7/2012). German Institute of Global and Area Studies: 6. ISSN 1862-359X. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "2017 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Election: List of Parliamentary slates from all parties" (PDF). La'o Hamutuk. 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Comissões Especializadas Permanentes » Competencia e Composição" [Permanent Specialised Committees » Competencies and Composition] (in Portuguese). 2017. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 Sullivan, Benjamin (19 February 2018). "Where to now for Timor-Leste and its growing youth bulge?". Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Gusmao's opposition coalition wins Timor-Leste election after months of deadlock". ABC News. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Lista definitiva de candidaturas: Eleção Parlamentar" [Final list of candidates: Parliamentary election] (PDF). La'o Hamutuk (in Portuguese). 12 May 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Primeiro grupo de membros do VIII Governo timorense tomou posse em Díli" [First group of members of the VIII Timorese Government take office in Dili]. 24 Notícias (in Portuguese). 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Structure of the VIII Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Colo, Cipriano (8 March 2020). "Armanda Berta Re-eleita Lidera KHUNTO ba Períudu 2020-2024" [Armanda Berta Re-elected Leader of KHUNTO for the 2020-2024 Period]. TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (in Tetum). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Soares Martins, Evaristo (11 May 2020). "CNRT Members Told to Resign from Council of Ministers". TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  17. 1 2 Soares Martins, Evaristo (14 May 2020). "PM Taur Matan Ruak Gains Two Deputies in Government Restructure". TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Presidente timorense dá posse a oito novos membros do Governo" [Timorese President swears in eight new members of the Government]. Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (in Portuguese). 29 May 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 "KHUNTO avança com recandidatura de Armanda Berta dos Santos para presidenciais de 2027" [KHUNTO re-nominates Armanda Berta dos Santos as candidate for president in 2027]. RafaFM (in Portuguese). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Vice-primeira-ministra timorense formaliza candidatura às presidenciais" [Timorese deputy prime minister formalizes candidacy for president]. Correio da Manha (in Portuguese). 28 January 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Kampanye Pilpres Timor Leste Dimulai Hari Ini, 16 Capres Siap Bertanding" [Timor Leste's Presidential Election Campaign Begins Today, with 16 Candidates Ready to Compete]. iNews Belu (in Indonesian). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Piedade Freitas, Domingos (4 July 2021). "Armanda Berta anuncia oficialmente candidatura a Presidência da República" [Armanda Berta officially announces candidacy for President of the Republic]. TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Apuramento Eleisaun Presidente Repúblika 2022: Resultado Provizoriu" [Presidential Election 2022 Calculation: Provisional Results]. Comissão Nacional de Eleições (in Tetum). Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  24. ↑ Gusmão, Antónia (23 May 2023). "Prezidente Partidu CNRT prefere hein rezultadu finál molok deklara formasaun Governu" [CNRT party president awaiting final results before announcing the formation of a government]. TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (in Tetum). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Lista Deputadu Partidu KHUNTO Iha Eleisaun Parlametar 2023" [KHUNTO Party Member of Parliament List in the 2023 Parliamentary Election]. Timor Today News (in Tetum). 18 April 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Who will be in the RDTL National Parliament from 2023-2028?" (PDF). La'o Hamutuk. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Martins, Filomeno (16 June 2023). "National Parliament delivers official letters to newly elected MPs". TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Martins, Filomeno (30 June 2023). "The list of structure of IX Constitutional Government announced in Official Gazette". TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  29. ↑ Salvadór, Vito (21 April 2024). "Armanda Berta ho Ilídio Domingos de Araújo Lidera KHUNTO Períodu 2024-2028" [Armanda Berta and Ilídio Domingos de Araújo KHUNTO Leaders for the 2024-2028 Period]. Hatutan (in Tetum). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  30. ↑ Xavier, Liduway (22 April 2024). "Armanda Berta Re-eleitu ba Prezidente Partidu KHUNTO" [Armanda Berta Re-elected KHUNTO Party President]. Timor Post Online (in Tetum). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Lori Nasaun Ba Oin, KHUNTO Prepara Lideransa Feto Konkore Iha Eleisaun Presidensial" [Moving the Nation Forward, KHUNTO Prepares Women Leadership for the Presidential Election]. SAP News (in Tetum). 27 May 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "KHUNTO prontu kandidata Berta ba PR: "Timor presiza feto ho fuan boot"" [KHUNTO ready to nominate candidate Berta for President: "Timor needs a woman with a big heart"]. Jornal Independente (in Tetum). 28 June 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "FRETILIN Sei Deside Kandidatura PR iha Fulan Julhu, Tarde Liu Agostu" [FRETILIN Will Choose Its Presidential Candidate in July, August at the Latest]. Suara Timor Lorosae (in Tetum). 10 June 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.

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