Timor-Leste opens voter registration for Timorese citizens living in the UK

DILI, 30 October 2026 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste has launched the voter registration information dissemination and registration activities for the Timorese diaspora in the United Kingdom.

The initiative, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEC) in coordination with relevant electoral authorities, aims to inform Timorese citizens residing in the UK about voter registration procedures and facilitate their participation in the upcoming election.

The opening ceremony was attended by MNEC Director-General for Consular Affairs and Protocol, Josefina Carla Pompeia Tilman, who represented the ministry.

The opening ceremony was officially led by Mateus W. dos Santos Tallo, Secretary of State for Local Development, and was attended by the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the United Kingdom, the Head of the Timorese Community in Oxford, as well as representatives of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) and the National Electoral Commission (CNE).

The activities are part of broader efforts by the government and electoral institutions to ensure that Timorese citizens living overseas have access to electoral information and opportunities to participate in the country’s democratic process.

The initiative reflects the continued cooperation and coordination among relevant government institutions and electoral authorities to facilitate the participation of Timorese citizens abroad in the country’s democratic process.

Last month, the Government approved a draft Government Decree setting out the timetable for voter registration and the updating of electoral records abroad ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The legislation stipulates that the registration and updating of electoral registration records abroad will take place between October 8th, 2026, and January 22nd, 2027.

TATOLI