Timor-Leste cuts proposed 2027 allocation for Council of Ministers presidency

A reduced budget of US$4,982,253 is proposed for Timor-Leste’s Ministry of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2027, Secretary of State for Social Communication Expedito Dias Ximenes told a parliamentary hearing.

Of that amount, US$3,108,303 would cover salaries and remuneration, with US$1,873,950 assigned to goods and services. The funding would support institutional operations and development, government coordination, legal governance, translation, public policy, strategic communication, citizenship promotion and parliamentary affairs.

Ximenes said the Budget Review Committee had reduced the allocation to reflect government priorities. These include infrastructure, health, education and economic diversification, alongside good governance, the 2027 presidential election and possible local elections in some municipalities. Infrastructure preparations for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2029 were also among the priorities he cited.

At the same hearing before parliament’s Commission A, responsible for constitutional affairs and justice, Ximenes outlined a US$3,711,527 proposal for the Prime Minister’s Office. This comprises US$1,222,478 for salaries and remuneration and US$2,489,049 for goods and services.

That proposal would fund institutional operations and development, land and maritime boundary delimitation, strategic development planning, leadership and coordination of the Tasi Mane project, and the blue economy. The office’s 2026 budget execution reached 88.6 per cent of its original US$3,697,532 allocation, according to figures presented at the hearing.

Commission A president Natalino dos Santos said ministries were obliged to brief lawmakers on spending progress and their budget priorities for the following year.