Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao Name Fernando Araujo Resigned April 17, 2008 Religion Roman Catholic Succeeded by Jose Ramos-Horta | Political party Democratic Party Party Democratic Party Preceded by Francisco Guterres Role East Timorese Politician | |
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Preceded by Vicente Guterres (Acting) Born 26 February 1963
Manutassi, Portuguese Timor
(now East Timor) ( 1963-02-26 ) Died June 2, 2015, Dili, Timor-Leste Spouse Jacqueline Aquino Siapno (m. ?–2015) | ||
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.
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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, and on 26 April he announced his party's support for the second place candidate, Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta, in the second round.
In the June 2007 parliamentary election, Araújo won a seat as the first name on the Democratic Party's candidate list. 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.
Araújo did not stand for the National Parliament presidency in 2012. Vicente Guterres was elected to succeed him in late July.
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.
Ramos-Horta took over again on 17 April 2008, when he returned to Timor-Leste.
Family and personal life
While in prison he met his wife, Jacqueline Siapno, a Filipino academic who was working for Amnesty International. They have a son, Hadomi. Siapno and her son left Timor in 2014, but their divorce was never finalised before his death. De Araújo died in 2015 of a stroke, aged 52.