DILI: East Timor independence fighter Xanana Gusmao was inaugurated as prime minister of Southeast Asia’s youngest democracy on Saturday, marking his return to power almost a decade after he left the government.

More than two decades after independence, the country is still struggling to develop its economy, with more than 40 per cent of its 1.3 million citizens living in poverty.

“My vision for the people is for them to be more prosperous, educated, qualified and innovative, to create more job opportunities and to prioritise productive sectors so we can build a better economy,” Gusmao said during his inauguration speech.

His National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) led with 41.6pc of votes in the parliamentary election in late May, while the party’s main rival and incumbent coalition leader Fretilin got 25.7pc, according to the electoral commission.

The 77-year-old former rebel leader on Saturday also vowed to fix the country’s laws and develop a gas pipeline project. “The government will prioritise reviewing the judicial system as well as development, starting from the villages, also to bring the Greater Sunrise pipeline to Timor Leste,” he said.

The former Portuguese colony’s budget is heavily dependent on oil revenues, but earnings from existing fossil fuel projects are soon expected to run dry.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2023