The Democratic Party or the Democratic Party In Timor-Leste is a social-democratic political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

, established on 10 June 2001. Currently, most of the members of the party are of the young generation who are studying abroad, and those who have completed their studies in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Political history

In the 2001 parliamentary election

East Timorese parliamentary election, 2001

Constituent Assembly elections were held in East Timor on 30 August 2001, the second anniversary of the independence referendum. One member was elected from each of the country's thirteen districts, whilst a further 75 were elected by proportional representation. The result was a victory for the...

 held on 30 August, the party won 8.7% of the popular vote and seven out of 88 seats. The party has the second-highest representation in parliament, after the FRETILIN

Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor

The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor is a leftist political party in East Timor. They presently hold a plurality of seats in the National Parliament and formed the government in East Timor from independence until 2007...

 (a left-wing party).

In the April 2007 presidential election

East Timorese presidential election, 2007

The 2007 East Timorese presidential election involved two separate votes. The first, on 9 April 2007 eliminated six of the eight nominees. The remaining two candidates, current Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta and Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor President Francisco Guterres, faced...

, the party's leader, Fernando "Lasama" de Araújo

Fernando de Araújo (East Timorese politician)

Fernando de Araújo, also known by Lasama is an East Timorese politician and the current President of the National Parliament of East Timor. He was also serving as the Acting President of East Timor for two months in early 2008. He is also the President of the Democratic Party. He is married to...

, took third place with 19.18% of the vote.

In provisional results of the June 2007 parliamentary election

East Timorese parliamentary election, 2007

A parliamentary election was held in East Timor on 30 June 2007. Although a narrow plurality was achieved by the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor , a coalition involving the next three largest groups formed a government...

, the party won 11.30% of the vote, placing fourth. Based on the results, the Democratic Party will have eight seats in parliament.