Early parliamentary elections will be held in East Timor in May 2018.
In the 2017 parliamentary elections there was no clear winner, with the FRETILIN party of Mari Alkatiri holding only one more seat than the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction led by Xanana Gusmao. Alkatiri formed a minority government with the Democratic Party, which held only 30 of the 65 seats in the National Parliament. However, the government’s attempts to pass a budget were blocked, and amidst political deadlock, President Francisco Guterres dissolved Parliament and called for early elections.
The 65 members of the National Parliament were elected from a single nationwide constituency by closed list proportional representation. Parties are required to have a woman in at least every third position in their list. Seats are allocated using the d’Hondt method with an electoral threshold of 4%.
Sources and Further Reading:
East Timor president calls for new election to end impasse
Timor-Leste’s Personality Politics
Worldview: East Timor’s path to restoration and renovation
https://dailyfreepress.com/blog/2018/02/19/worldview-east-timors-path-to-restoration-and-renovation/