Francisco Xavier do Amaral, East Timorese politician, 1st President of East Timor (born 1937)
Francisco Xavier do Amaral
Francisco Xavier do Amaral was an East Timorese politician. A founder of the Frente Revolucionária de Timor Leste Independente (Fretilin), Amaral was sworn in as the first President of East Timor when the country, then a Portuguese colony, made a unilateral declaration of independence on 28 November 1975. He was a member of the National Parliament for the Timorese Social Democratic Association from 2001 until his death in 2012. Amaral was also known as "Abo (Grandfather) Xavier", a term of endearment, by East Timorese.
President of Timor-Leste
The president of Timor-Leste, officially the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste is the head of state of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The executive powers of the president are limited; however, the President is also the ex officio head of the Council of State, is able to veto legislation, and is the supreme commander of the Timor-Leste Defence Force.