The 1975 Council of Ministers (, ) was the council of ministers formed by the Fretilin political party in 1975 as the inaugural administration or cabinet of the Democratic Republic of East Timor proclaimed in November 1975.
History On 28 November 1975, Fretilin made a unilateral declaration of independence of East Timor from Portuguese colonial rule. On 30 November 1975, the party caused a "Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL)" to be read out at an inauguration ceremony for Francisco Xavier do Amaral as the newly appointed President of its new republic.
Article 40 of the new constitution provided for the establishment of a Council of Ministers. On 1 December 1975, Fretilin inaugurated that body.
By that time, however, Indonesian armed forces had infiltrated significant parts of the territory of East Timor, especially in what is now the Bobonaro Municipality, adjacent to the border with Indonesian West Timor. Just under a week later, on 7 December 1975, Indonesia began a full-scale invasion of East Timor, focused on Dili, the capital of the territory.
On 17 December 1975, Indonesia then brought about a de facto usurpation of Fretilin's Council of Ministers, by forming a Provisional Government of East Timor (PGET) ( (PSTT)) headed by of the Timorese Popular Democratic Association (, APODETI) and of the Timorese Democratic Union (, UDT).
Composition The Council of Ministers was made up of Ministers and Vice Ministers, as follows:
Ministers PartyMinisterPortraitPortfolio Fretilin Nicolau Lobato Prime Minister Independent Minister of Economic Coordination and Statistics Fretilin Minister of Finance Fretilin Eduardo Carlos dos Anjos Kaku'uk Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications Fretilin Rogério Lobato Minister of National Defense Fretilin Alarico Fernandes Minister of Information, Home Affairs and Security Fretilin António Duarte Carvarino Mau Lear Minister of Justice Fretilin José Ramos-Horta Minister of Foreign Affairs Fretilin Minister of Labor Fretilin Minister of Education and Culture Fretilin Mari Alkatiri Minister of Political Affairs Fretilin Minister of Economic and Social Affairs
Vice Ministers PartyMinisterPortraitPortfolio Fretilin Vice Minister of Economic Coordination and Statistics Fretilin Vice Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications Fretilin Vice Minister of Defense Fretilin Vice Minister of Defense Fretilin Vice Minister of Information, Home Affairs and Security Fretilin Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Fretilin Guido Valadares Vice Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Fretilin Vice Minister of Health
See also Proclamation of Independence Day
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