Timor-Leste: Challenges to the Consolidation of Democracy

Abstract

The majority of authors writing on Timor-Leste, and international organisations who publish indices of democratic performance concur that Timor-Leste has achieved the status of a democratic polity, although the apparent stability of the regime cannot be equated with full democratic consolidation. Among the myriad challenges that this nation faces, democratic consolidation ranks high. In this In Brief, the author considers three particular dimensions to the challenge of democratic consolidation in Timor-Leste.