Fernando de Araújo (East Timorese politician)

Fernando de Araújo
President of East Timor Acting
In office 13 February 2008 – 17 April 2008
Prime Minister	Xanana Gusmão
Preceded by	Vicente Guterres (Acting)
Succeeded by	José Ramos-Horta
President of the National Parliament
In office 8 August 2007 – 30 July 2012
Preceded by	Francisco Guterres
Succeeded by	Vicente Guterres
Personal details
Born	26 February 1963 Manutassi, Portuguese Timor (now East Timor)
Died	2 June 2015 (aged 52) Dili, East Timor
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Aquino Siapno
Religion	Roman Catholic

Fernando de Araújo, also known as Lasama (26 February 1963 – 2 June 2015) was an East Timorese politician who was President of the National Parliament of East Timor from 2007 to 2012. He also served as the Acting President for two months in early 2008. He was also the President of the Democratic Party.

Background and early career

Araújo was born in Manutaci, Ainaro District, in what was then Portuguese Timor. At the age of 12, he witnessed all 18 members of his family massacred by the Indonesian Army. He studied Literature at Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia but was arrested for “subversion against the state” after completing his first year of study. He was secretary-general of Renetil - Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste (East Timorese Students National Resistance), and was sentenced to six years and four months of imprisonment. After his release, Araújo remained in Jakarta and continued to work for self-determination and democracy in East Timor, working closely with Indonesian human rights defenders and democracy advocates. He returned to Timor and in 2001 founded and led the Democratic Party.

2007 elections

Lasama de Araújo was the Democratic Party's candidate in the April 2007 presidential election. He took third place with 19.18% of the vote,^[1][2] and on 26 April he announced his party's support for the second place candidate, Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta, in the second round.^[3]

In the June 2007 parliamentary election, Araújo won a seat as the first name on the Democratic Party's candidate list.^[4] At the first session of the new parliament on 30 July, Araújo was elected as President of the National Parliament, defeating Aniceto Guterres of FRETILIN.^[5]

Araújo did not stand for the National Parliament presidency in 2012. Vicente Guterres was elected to succeed him in late July.^[6]

President of Timor-Leste (Acting)

Following an attack that seriously wounded President José Ramos-Horta on 11 February 2008, Araújo became Acting President on 13 February.^[7]

Ramos-Horta took over again on 17 April 2008, when he returned to Timor-Leste.^[8]

Family and personal life

While in prison he met his wife, Jacqueline Siapno, a Filipino academic who was working for Amnesty International.^[9] They have a son, Hadomi. Siapno and her son left Timor in 2014, but their divorce was never finalised before his death.^[10] De Araújo died in 2015 of a stroke, aged 52.^[11]

See also

• Politics of East Timor

References

1. "Two set to square off for presidency", AAP, 18 April 2007.
2. 2007 presidential election results, East Timor Election Commission website.
3. "Ramos Horta wins key support", AFP, 27 April 2007.
4. "National Provisional Results from the 30 June 2007 Parliamentary Elections", Comissão Nacional de Eleições Timor-Leste, 9 July 2007.
5. "Timor MPs sworn in, no government yet", Reuters, 31 July 2007.
6. "Vicente Guterres Ketua PN Baru" (in Indonesian). The Timor News. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
7. "New poll if Ramos Horta recovery slow", The Australian Financial Review, 14 February 2008.
8. Ramos Horta still haunted by questions | The Australian
9. "Mate ona ministru Edukasaun Fernando Lasama de Araújo" (in Tetum). Sapo Noticias. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
10. http://www.rappler.com/views/imho/99074-fernando-la-sama-de-araujo-in-memoriam
11. "Fernando de Araújo (1962-2015)". xl.pt.

External links

• September 2008 Interview (Transcript)
• Fernando de Araújo Freedom Collection interview