Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 22nd, 2026

Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste

Ninth Constitutional Government

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Press Release

Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 22nd, 2026

The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary session in the Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Auditorium at the Ministry of Finance in Dili, approved a vote of condolence, and decided to declare a national mourning period following the death of Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo”, former President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, President of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN), and one of the influential figures in the struggle for national liberation. National mourning will be observed throughout the country for seven days, from 3:00 p.m. on June 22^nd to 00:00 a.m. on June 28^th, with the national flag flown at half-mast at all public buildings, including embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions abroad, as well as on government vessels.

Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo” passed away at the age of 71 at Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he was receiving intensive medical treatment. Born in Ossú, in the municipality of Viqueque, on September 7, 1954, he dedicated much of his life to the struggle for national liberation, holding various leadership roles in the resistance during the Indonesian occupation. Following the death of Konis Santana in 1998, he assumed political leadership of the Timorese resistance.

In 2001, he was elected President of the Constituent Assembly, which was responsible for drafting the Constitution of the Republic. He served as President of the National Parliament from 2002 to 2007 and was elected President of the Republic in 2017, a position he held until 2022.

Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo” was awarded the Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste in 2009, the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste in 2022, and the Grand Collar of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, awarded by the Portuguese Republic in the same year, in recognition of his contribution to Timor-Leste and of the strengthening of relations between the two countries.

With this decision, the Government pays tribute to a prominent figure in the national liberation struggle and extends its deepest condolences to his wife, children, and other family members, to FRETILIN, and to the entire Timorese people, recognising the legacy of dedication and service that Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo” left in building a free, democratic, and sovereign Timor-Leste. END