World · Timor-Leste · Local power worldwide

Who runs local government in Timor-Leste?

Timor-Leste's Constitution promises elected local government, but municipalities are still run by administrators appointed by the national government. The strongest local institutions are the sucos (village groups) and their aldeias (hamlets), whose chiefs and councils are elected by residents and include a customary elder, the lian-na'in. Customary law and the Catholic Church are also very influential in daily life.

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste · Unitary semi-presidential republic · South-eastern Asia

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Municipalities (12), the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno, and Ataúro (separated from Díli in 2022)	Municipal administrators appointed by the government; Oe-Cusse has an appointed Authority	Deconcentrated administration of services; no elected municipal assembly yet.
Administrative posts (postos administrativos)	Administrators appointed by the government	Local branch of the municipal administration.
Sucos (over 400) and aldeias (hamlets)	Chefe de suco and chefe de aldeia elected by residents through aldeia assemblies for seven-year terms; a second round is held if no candidate wins over half the votes	Community leadership, local peace, development projects; sucos are community bodies, not part of the state administration.

Three questions about local power in Timor-Leste

Are local leaders elected?

Suco chiefs, aldeia chiefs and suco council members are elected locally. Municipal administrators and post administrators are appointed. National bodies are elected.

Which laws set up local government?

Sucos and their organs are set up by Law 9/2016. Lian-na'in have a formal seat, but customary justice and tara bandu mostly work through custom. Municipal 'local power' in the Constitution has not yet been put fully into practice.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Suco leaders face residents at elections every seven years. Municipal administrators answer to the national government (the ministry responsible for state administration).

Traditional and customary authority

Customary law (lisan) and elders called lian-na'in ('keepers of the word') are central to settling land, family and community disputes, and to rituals such as tara bandu, a customary ban or rule agreed by the community (for example on cutting trees). The 2016 Suco Law gives one lian-na'in a seat on every suco council, so custom has a formal voice. The Catholic Church, to which most Timorese belong, has strong moral and social authority but no formal government role.

Community and neighbourhood power

Each suco council is made up of the chefe de suco, a female and a male delegate from each aldeia, the aldeia chiefs, a lian-na'in and youth representatives. Under Law 9/2016, sucos are legally defined as public-law bodies based on association, separate from the state administration. Suco councils organise local projects funded by national programmes.

Points to know

Suco leader elections were held in October–November 2023 for terms running to 2030, except in ten sucos whose leaders' terms ended in 2024.
Each aldeia must elect one female and one male delegate to the suco council.
Ataúro island became its own municipality in 2022.
Oe-Cusse Ambeno, an enclave surrounded by Indonesia, has special administrative and economic status.

Local terms

Suco: A village group, run by an elected chief and council.
Aldeia: A hamlet within a suco, with its own elected chief.
Lian-na'in: A customary elder, 'keeper of the word', who settles disputes by custom.
Tara bandu: A customary ban or community rule sealed by ritual.

Sources

Constitution of Timor-Leste 2002 (English text), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Jornal da República, Série I, N.º 30 A (16 August 2023): Government Decree No. 9/2023 setting the dates for the election of community leaders under Law No. 9/2016, Official Gazette of Timor-Leste, Ministry of Justice, checked 14 October 2026