ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the political situation in East Timor, justifies why the government is considered to be divided and presents the main arguments associated with divided government. It presents the main findings Presidential activism in the legislative domain, Presidential activism in the appointment and dismissal process and Proclamatory powers in relation to the hypotheses. The hypotheses that were formulated predicted the locus and intensity of institutional conflict under divided government. First, conflict would occur between President Gusmo and the FRETILIN parliamentary majority. Secondly, little conflict would arise over defence and foreign policy. Compared with cohabitation, divided government was a less conflictual political situation. The reason for the improvement of the institutional relations was the ideological proximity between the president and the prime minister, which erased a chunk of conflict from the political process. The chapter concludes if the findings correspond to the arguments.
