- Byname of:
- José Alexandre Gusmão
- Born:
- June 20, 1946, Manatulo, East Timor (age 80)
Xanana Gusmão
-
Who is Xanana Gusmão?
Xanana Gusmão (born José Alexandre Gusmão, June 20, 1946) is an East Timorese politician and independence leader. He served as the first president of East Timor (2002–07) and as prime minister (2007–15; 2023– ).
Gusmão was at the forefront of the resistance movement against the Indonesian presence, becoming head of Falintil, a revolutionary group. In 1992, Indonesian forces captured Gusmão, and he was sentenced to life in prison the following year. As part of a UN settlement, he was released to house arrest in February 1999. Gusmão took part in talks with the Indonesian government, and a cease-fire was established on June 18, 1999. He was then appointed to a senior role in UNTAET. In April 2002, Gusmão won the presidential election and took office on May 20, when East Timor officially became independent.
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What country did Xanana Gusmão become president of?
Xanana Gusmão served as the first president of East Timor from 2002 to 2007. In April 2002, he won the presidential election and assumed office on May 20, when East Timor gained official independence. Besides being the first president, Gusmão also served as prime minister of East Timor from 2007 to 2015 and again in 2023.
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When did Xanana Gusmão serve as president of East Timor?
Xanana Gusmão, an East Timorese independence leader and politician, served as the first president of East Timor from 2002 to 2007. In April 2002, he won the presidential election and assumed office on May 20, 2002, when East Timor officially gained independence. As president, Gusmão oversaw East Timor's admittance into the UN in 2002 and into ASEAN in 2005. He also focused on developing the country's petroleum-reliant economy. In 2007, he chose to pursue the prime ministership instead of seeking a second term as president. He also served as prime minister from 2007 to 2015 and again in 2023.
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Why is Xanana Gusmão an important leader in East Timor's history?
Xanana Gusmão is an important figure in East Timor's history as an independence leader and politician. He was the first president (2002-07) and prime minister (2007–15; 2023– ) of East Timor.
Gusmão was at the forefront of the resistance movement against the Indonesian presence, becoming head of Falintil, a revolutionary group that operated from hiding places in the mountains. In 1992, Indonesian forces captured Gusmão, and he was sentenced to life in prison the following year. As part of a settlement brokered by the United Nations (UN), he was released to house arrest in February 1999.
Gusmão took part in talks with the Indonesian government, along with resistance leaders José Ramos-Horta and Bishop Carlos Belo, and a cease-fire was established on June 18, 1999.
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What role did Gusmão play in East Timor's path to independence?
Xanana Gusmão played a pivotal role in East Timor's journey to independence, beginning with his leadership in the resistance against Indonesian forces, operating from mountain hideouts as head of Falintil. Captured in 1992, he continued to participate in talks with the Indonesian government, even while imprisoned.
Gusmão's involvement was key to the establishment of a cease-fire on June 18, 1999, and he took part in the UN-brokered settlement. Following an overwhelming vote for independence in an August 30 referendum, he was appointed to a senior role in the UNTAET transitional government as president of the CNRT. In April 2002, he won the presidential election, leading East Timor to its official independence on May 20.
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How has Xanana Gusmão influenced East Timor since his presidency?
As the first president of East Timor (2002-07), Xanana Gusmão oversaw the country's admittance into the UN in 2002 and into ASEAN in 2005. He also focused on developing East Timor’s economy, which relied heavily on the petroleum industry.
After his presidency, Gusmão continued to influence East Timor as prime minister (2007-15), weathering a political crisis in 2008 and spurring economic growth, though poverty remained widespread. In 2014, he announced his intention to retire, and in 2015, he left office but remained influential as minister for planning and strategic development.
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Xanana Gusmão (born June 20, 1946, Manatulo, East Timor) is an East Timorese independence leader and politician who served as the first president (2002–07) and as prime minister (2007–15; 2023– ) of East Timor.
Gusmão, the son of schoolteachers, went to high school in Dili, East Timor, which at the time was a Portuguese possession, and later attended the Jesuit seminary in nearby Dare. He served for three years in the colonial armed forces and worked as a surveyor and as a teacher. In August 1975, after an attempted coup by the nationalist Timorese Democratic Union (União Democrática Timorense; UDT) was quelled by the competing group, Fretilin (Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente [Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor]), the Portuguese administrators left East Timor. For a short period thereafter Gusmão, a member of Fretilin, helped administer the region. Indonesia invaded East Timor in December 1975 and annexed it as a province. Gusmão was subsequently at the forefront of the resistance movement against the Indonesian presence, becoming head of Falintil (Forças Armadas de Liberação Nacional de Timor-Leste [Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor]), a revolutionary group that operated from hiding places in the mountains.
In 1992 Gusmão was captured by Indonesian forces, and the following year he was sentenced to life in prison for plotting against the Indonesian government and for illegal possession of arms. The sentence was later shortened to 20 years, and, as part of a settlement brokered by the United Nations (UN), he was released to house arrest in February 1999. Along with resistance leaders José Ramos-Horta and Bishop Carlos Belo, who together shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for Peace, Gusmão took part in talks with the Indonesian government, and a cease-fire was established on June 18, 1999. On August 30 the East Timorese participated in a referendum to choose between autonomy within Indonesia and independence. By an overwhelming majority the people voted for independence, and Indonesia began to withdraw its troops. On October 25 the UN Security Council established a transitional government, UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration of East Timor). As president of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (Conselho Nacional de Resistência Timorense; CNRT), Gusmão was appointed to a senior role in UNTAET.
In April 2002 East Timor held a presidential election, and Gusmão easily won. He took office on May 20, when East Timor officially became independent. As president, he oversaw the country’s admittance into the UN in 2002 and into ASEAN in 2005. He also worked to develop East Timor’s economy, which relied heavily on the petroleum industry. In 2006 he called for the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, who was alleged to have ordered the intimidation and assassination of political opponents. The allegations resulted in mass protests, and Alkatiri stepped down in June.
Gusmão chose not to seek a second term as president, instead opting to pursue the prime ministership. In the June 2007 parliamentary elections, the CNRT—renamed (with the same acronym) National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor (Congresso Nacional de Reconstrução do Timor)—placed second behind Fretilin, which failed to win a majority. Gusmão subsequently orchestrated the formation of a governing coalition headed by his party, and Pres. José Ramos-Horta named him prime minister. Gusmão was sworn into office on August 8, 2007, which was met by two days of rioting in Dili.
In February 2008 President Ramos-Horta was nearly assassinated in Dili, plunging the country into political crisis. Gusmão weathered the situation, and gradually peace returned. East Timor’s economy grew significantly during his first term as prime minister, but many of the country’s citizens continued to live in poverty. The CNRT won a plurality (but not a majority) of seats in the 2012 parliamentary elections, and Gusmão returned for a second term as prime minister of another coalition government. In 2014, however, he announced his intention to retire. He left office on February 16, 2015, succeeded by Rui Maria de Araújo of Fretilin, who named Gusmão the minister of planning and strategic development.