Former President Francisco Guterres Dies, Timor-Leste Observes Week of Mourning

Timor-Leste authorities have announced a week-long period of national mourning for former President Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres, who passed away at the age of 71 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Malaysia over the weekend. Guterres served as President of Timor-Leste from 2017 to 2022. In a statement reported by AFP on Monday, the Timor-Leste government ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on public buildings, including embassies and consulates abroad, to honour the late Guterres. His body is expected to arrive in the capital, Dili, on Tuesday. Guterres’s brother, Domingos Guterres, told local reporters that funeral arrangements are being made. President José Ramos-Horta, who defeated Guterres in the 2022 presidential election, described his former rival as a “great patriot” in a statement, calling his death “a great loss for the nation”. The government also extended its “deepest condolences” to Guterres’s family, the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) party he once led, and the people of Timor-Leste. The family requested that their privacy be respected as supporters pay their final respects. “We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time, as we join in prayer and pay tribute to his memory, his legacy, and his service to the people of Timor-Leste,” the family’s statement read. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also announced Guterres’s death, saying he was “saddened” by the news and offering condolences to the family and the people of Timor-Leste. “Malaysia mourns his passing alongside the people of Timor. He will be remembered here with respect and affection,” Anwar said in a statement.