Timor-Leste PM pledges efforts to improve living standards in 2027 budget
Opposition lawmaker Maria Angelina Sarmento called for spending to be judged by its effect on people and urged investment in productive sectors.
Timor-Leste’s government will seek to improve people’s living conditions through the 2027 state budget, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão told parliament on November 11, 2026. He acknowledged that living standards remained poor.
Addressing the closing day of the general budget debate, Gusmão said the government would examine lawmakers’ concerns and work on improvements after parliamentary approval. He welcomed criticism and recommendations, while recognising that his administration could not do everything. Detailed responses on individual sectors would follow during the budget’s specialised scrutiny, he said.
Gusmão was responding to PLP opposition MP Maria Angelina Sarmento, who said the budget’s value should be measured by its impact on citizens, not simply by how much money was allocated, approved or spent.
Sarmento argued that CNRT’s extensive experience in government had still left high levels of poverty, multidimensional poverty and hunger. She described the opposition’s criticism as constructive and urged further investment in productive sectors to diversify Timor-Leste’s economy, in keeping with the budget’s emphasis on resilience, transformation and a sustainable future.
