View source for Fretilin

{{short description|East Timorese political party and former resistance movement}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor
| native_name      = Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente
| abbreviation     = FRETILIN
| logo             = FRETILIN logo.png
| logo_size        = 
| president        = [[Francisco Guterres|Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres]]
| secretary_general = [[Mari Alkatiri]]
| foundation       = 20 May 1974<br>({{age in years and days|1974|05|20}})<br>([[Timorese Social Democratic Association|ASDT]])<hr>11 September 1974<br>({{age in years and days|1974|09|11}})<br>(FRETILIN)
| founders         = {{ubl|[[Francisco Xavier do Amaral]]|[[Mari Alkatiri]]| [[José Ramos-Horta]]| [[Nicolau dos Reis Lobato]]| [[Justino Mota]]}}<ref name=cavr/>
| headquarters     = Avenida Martires da Patria, Comoro, [[Dili]]
| youth_wing       = East Timor Youth and Students Organisation
| wing1_title      = [[Military|Armed wing]]
| wing1            = [[Falintil|FALINTIL]]<br>(1975–2001)
| ideology         = {{ubl|[[Social democracy]]|[[Democratic socialism]]|[[Left-wing nationalism]]|'''Historical''':|[[Marxism-Leninism]]}}
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14919009|title=East Timor country profile|quote=Commonly known as "Lu Olo", Mr Guterres leads the centre-left Fretilin party and is a former guerrilla, having fought against Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.|work=[[BBC]]|date=26 February 2018}}</ref>
| regional         = [[Network of Social Democracy in Asia]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://socdemasia.com/about | title=About }}</ref>	
| international    = [[Progressive Alliance]]
| colours          = [[Red]], [[black]], and [[yellow]]
| colorcode        = {{party colour|Fretilin}}
| seats1_title     = [[National Parliament (East Timor)|National Parliament]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|19|65|{{party colour|Fretilin}}}}
| flag             = Flag of FRETILIN (East Timor).svg
| website          = [https://www.fretilin.tl/home/pt/ fretilin.tl]
| country          = East Timor
}}

The '''Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor''' ({{langx|pt|Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente}}, abbreviated as '''Fretilin''') is a [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]]<ref name="BBC"/> [[political party]] and former [[liberation movement|national liberation movement]] in [[Timor-Leste]]. It presently holds 19 of 65 seats in the [[National Parliament (East Timor)|National Parliament]]. Fretilin formed the government in East Timor until its independence in 2002. It obtained the presidency in 2017 under [[Francisco Guterres]] but lost in the [[2022 East Timorese presidential election]].

Fretilin began as a [[resistance movement]] that fought for the independence of East Timor from [[Portuguese Timor|Portugal]] in 1974 and proceeded to resist the [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor]] until 1999. Upon gaining her total independence in 2002, Fretilin became one of several [[political party|parties]] competing for power in a multi-party system.

== History before independence==
=== Ascendancy and destruction ===
Fretilin was founded on 20 May 1974 as the [[Timorese Social Democratic Association]] (ASDT).<ref name=cavr>{{cite web|author=CAVR|author-link=Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor|title=Chega! Final Report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor – Part 3: The History of the Conflict|url=http://www.etan.org/etanpdf/2006/CAVR/03-History-of-the-Conflict.pdf#page=16|access-date=30 July 2017|at=para. 47}}</ref> The ASDT renamed itself to Fretilin on 11 September 1974 and took a more radical stance, proclaiming itself the “sole legitimate representative” of the East Timorese people.<ref>{{cite web|author=CAVR|author-link=Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor|title=Chega! Final Report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor – Part 3: The History of the Conflict|url=http://www.etan.org/etanpdf/2006/CAVR/03-History-of-the-Conflict.pdf#page=26|access-date=30 July 2017|at=para. 87}}</ref> In response to a coup by the [[Timorese Democratic Union]] (UDT) on 11 August 1975, Fretilin hastily formed an armed wing called [[Falintil]], which emerged victorious after a [[East Timorese civil war|three week civil war]].<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Bartrop|editor1-first=Paul R.|editor-link=Paul R. Bartrop|title=Encountering Genocide: Personal Accounts from Victims, Perpetrators, and Witnesses|date=2014|isbn=978-1-61069-330-1|page=169|publisher=Abc-Clio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RAtvBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA169}}</ref> Falintil would continue to wage war against the ABRI during its [[Indonesian invasion of East Timor|invasion]] on 7 December 1975 and ensuing [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|occupation]].

Fretilin formally declared East Timor's independence from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and inaugurated an 18-member cabinet with members of the Fretilin Central Committee with [[Francisco Xavier do Amaral]] as president and [[Nicolau dos Reis Lobato]] as both vice president and prime minister.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kiernan|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Kiernan|title=Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial & Justice in Cambodia & East Timor|date=2007|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=978-1-4128-0669-5|pages=113, 115–116}}</ref> The two men fell out as the pressures from the occupation escalated, and in September 1977 Lobato had do Amaral arrested for "high treason".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kiernan|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Kiernan|title=Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial & Justice in Cambodia & East Timor|date=2007|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=978-1-4128-0669-5|page=116}}</ref> On 31 December 1978, Lobato, do Amaral's successor as president, was killed by the [[Indonesian National Armed Forces|Indonesian forces]].<ref name=kiernan128>{{cite book|last1=Kiernan|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Kiernan|title=Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial & Justice in Cambodia & East Timor|date=2007|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=978-1-4128-0669-5|page=128}}</ref> He was succeeded by Mau Lear, who served until he was also tracked down and executed by Indonesian forces on 2 February 1979.<ref name=kiernan128/>

Fretilin came under enormous pressure in the late 1970s. From September 1977 to February 1979, only three of the 52 members of Fretilin's Central Committee survived.<ref name=kiernan128/>

=== Recuperation and national unity===
Fretilin survived despite the military collapse, and was slowly rebuilt under the relatively moderate and nationalist leadership of [[Xanana Gusmão]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kiernan|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Kiernan|title=Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial & Justice in Cambodia & East Timor|date=2007|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=978-1-4128-0669-5|pages=120, 129}}</ref>

Between March 1981 and April 1984, Fretilin was known as ''Partido Marxista–Leninista Fretilin'' (PMLF), and [[Marxism-Leninism]] was officially declared the party's ideology. The name was changed back in 1984; furthermore, its revolutionary politics was abandoned in order to further national unity and acquire the support of the UDT and the [[Catholic Church in Timor-Leste|Catholic Church]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kiernan|first1=Ben|author-link=Ben Kiernan|title=Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial & Justice in Cambodia & East Timor|date=2007|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, NJ|isbn=978-1-4128-0669-5|pages=167–168, 174}} These pages refer to part 5 of ''Chega! The Report of the [[Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor|Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in Timor-Leste]]'', which is included in Kiernan's book.</ref>

== History since independence==
In the first elections, held in [[2001 East Timorese parliamentary election|2001]], the year before independence, Fretilin polled 57.4% of the vote and took 55 seats in the 88-seat Assembly. While this gave the party a working majority, it fell short of the two-thirds majority it had hoped for to dictate the drafting of a national constitution.

In the [[2007 East Timorese parliamentary election|June 2007 parliamentary election]], Fretilin again took first place, but with a greatly reduced 29% of the vote and 21 seats.<ref>[http://www.cne.tl/Eleisaun_Parlamentar/ACTA%20FINAL/aviso_publico_final%2009-07-07-ENGLISH.pdf "National Provisional Results from the 30 June 2007 Parliamentary Elections"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810223956/http://www.cne.tl/Eleisaun_Parlamentar/ACTA%20FINAL/aviso_publico_final%2009-07-07-ENGLISH.pdf |date=10 August 2007 }}, Comissão Nacional de Eleições Timor-Leste, 9 July 2007.</ref> In the election, it faced a challenge from the [[National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction]] (CNRT), led by former president Xanana Gusmão, which placed second. Although Fretilin did not win a majority of seats, its Secretary-General, [[Mari Alkatiri]], spoke of forming a minority government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/07/asia/AS-GEN-East-Timor-Elections.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070711130700/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/07/asia/AS-GEN-East-Timor-Elections.php|archive-date=11 July 2007|title=Rival of East Timor independence hero proposes alternative government|agency=Associated Press|work=International Herald Tribune|date=6 July 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The party formed a national unity government which included the CNRT,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/world/asia/16iht-timor.2.6676127.html|title=East Timor parties to form a unity government|agency=Reuters|work=International Herald Tribune|date=16 July 2007}}</ref> a collaboration that they had previously rejected.

However, subsequent talks between the parties were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement on a government. After weeks of dispute between the CNRT-led coalition and Fretilin over who should form the government, [[José Ramos-Horta]] announced on 6 August that the CNRT-led coalition would form the government and that Gusmão would become prime minister. Fretilin denounced Ramos Horta's decision as unconstitutional, and angry Fretilin supporters in [[Dili]] immediately reacted to Ramos-Horta's announcement with violent protests.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-06-voa19.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822032052/http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-06-voa19.cfm|archive-date=22 August 2007|title=Violence Erupts After Gusmao Named East Timor Prime Minister|work=VOA News|date=6 August 2007|location=Jakarta|first=Nancy-Amelia|last=Collins|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>Lindsay Murdoch, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/violence-greets-hortas-pm-decision/2007/08/06/1186252623815.html "Violence greets Horta's PM decision"], smh.com.au, 6 August 2007.</ref> Alkatiri said that the party would fight the decision through legal means<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2007/08/2008525122612447576.html|title=Riots after Gusmao named E Timor PM|work=Al Jazeera|date=7 August 2007}}</ref> and would encourage people to protest and practice civil disobedience.<ref name=People>Lindsay Murdoch, [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/fretilin-threatens-peoplepower-coup/2007/08/08/1186530444727.html "Fretilin threatens 'people-power' coup"], theage.com.au, 9 August 2007.</ref> A few days later, Fretilin Vice-president [[Arsénio Bano]] said that the party would not challenge the government in court, and expressed a desire for a "political solution" leading to the creation of a national unity government.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120708104120/http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/15/2006261.htm?section=justin "Planned challenge to E Timor Govt dropped"], AFP (abc.net.au), 15 August 2007.</ref>

[[Francisco Guterres]] of Fretilin served as president of East Timor from 2017 to 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14952883|title=East Timor profile - Timeline|work=BBC News|date=26 February 2018}}</ref> Guterres sought re-election to a second term in [[2022 East Timorese presidential election|2022]], but lost to [[José Ramos-Horta]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 April 2022 |title=Ramos-Horta wins Timor-Leste presidential election |pages=1 |work=The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/04/20/ramos-horta-wins-timor-leste-presidential-election |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=21 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421074713/https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/04/20/ramos-horta-wins-timor-leste-presidential-election |url-status=live }}</ref> The CNRT was in power from 2007 to 2017, but Fretilin Secretary-General Mari Alkatiri formed a coalition government after the [[2017 East Timorese parliamentary election|July 2017 parliamentary election]]. However, his new minority government soon fell, resulting in a [[2018 East Timorese parliamentary election|second general election]] in May 2018, which the CNRT won as part of the 2017–2020 coalition called the [[Alliance for Change and Progress]] (AMP).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/East-Timor-votes-in-second-general-election-in-10-months|title=East Timor votes in second general election in 10 months|website=Nikkei Asia}}</ref>

== Election results ==

=== Presidential elections ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Election
! rowspan="2"| Candidate
! colspan="2"| First Round
! colspan="2"| Second Round
! rowspan="2"| Result
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
| [[2007 East Timorese presidential election|2007]]
| rowspan="4" | [[Francisco Guterres]]
| 112,666
| 27.89%
| 127,342
| 30.82%
| '''Lost''' {{N}}
|-
| [[2012 East Timorese presidential election|2012]]
| 133,635
| 28.76%
| 174,408
| 38.77%
| '''Lost''' {{N}}
|-
| [[2017 East Timorese presidential election|2017]]
| 295,048
| 57.08%
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
| '''Won''' {{Y}}
|-
| [[2022 East Timorese presidential election|2022]]
| 144,282
| 22.13%
| 242,939
| 37.90%
| '''Lost''' {{N}}
|}

=== Legislative elections ===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
! Election
! Party leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Position
! Government
|-
! [[2001 East Timorese parliamentary election|2001]]
| rowspan="8" | [[Mari Alkatiri]]
| 208,531
| 57.37%
| {{Composition bar|55|88|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| New
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|Government}}
|-
! [[2007 East Timorese parliamentary election|2007]]
| 120,592
| 29.02%
| {{Composition bar|21|65|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| {{decrease}} 34
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[2012 East Timorese parliamentary election|2012]]
| rowspan="2" | 140,786
| rowspan="2" | 29.87%
| rowspan="2" | {{Composition bar|25|65|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 4
| rowspan="2" | {{decrease}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}} {{small|(2012-2015)}}
|-
| {{yes2|Coalition}} {{small|(2015-2017)}}
|-
! [[2017 East Timorese parliamentary election|2017]]
| 168,422
| 29.65%
| {{Composition bar|23|65|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[2018 East Timorese parliamentary election|2018]]
| rowspan="2" | 213,324
| rowspan="2" | 34.29%
| rowspan="2" | {{Composition bar|23|65|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| rowspan="2" | {{steady}} 0
| rowspan="2" | {{decrease}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}} {{small|(2018-2020)}}
|-
| {{yes2|Coalition}} {{small|(2020-2023)}}
|-
! [[2023 East Timorese parliamentary election|2023]]
| 178,338
| 25.75%
| {{Composition bar|19|65|hex={{party color|Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Timor-Leste}}
* [[Free Aceh Movement]]
* [[Free Papua Movement]]
* [[Republik Maluku Selatan]]
* [[Separatism]]
* [[List of political parties in Timor-Leste]]
* [[:Category:Fretilin politicians]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{East Timorese political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Political parties in Timor-Leste]]
[[Category:East Timorese nationalism]]
[[Category:Indonesian occupation of East Timor]]
[[Category:Democratic socialist parties in Asia]]
[[Category:Left-wing nationalist parties]]
[[Category:Progressive Alliance]]
[[Category:Former member parties of the Socialist International]]
[[Category:1970s establishments in East Timor]]
[[Category:1974 establishments in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1974]]
[[Category:1970s in Portuguese Timor]]
[[Category:National liberation movements]]
[[Category:Rebel groups in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Separatism in Indonesia]]