Proposing Use of FRETILIN name and symbols: “Court of Appeal Rejects FRETILIN-Reform's Registration

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By Manuel da Silva - Timor Post - Friday, 24 June 2011

Dili – The Court of Appeal has delivered its decision rejecting the registration of the FRETILIN Reform attempts to register as a political party in Timor-Leste.

The Court of Appeal did not register FRETILIN Mudanca as a political party because they proposed to use the name and symbols of FRETILIN, which may cause confusion to members and sympathizers and the public generally during election time.

“According to Law No. 3/2004 on political parties, a political party cannot use or be permitted to use the name or symbols that are similar to that of other political parties,” said Jose Manuel Simoes, a Court of Appeals Judicial Officer.

As such, currently the FRETILIN Reform group is still not legally registered as a political party and will not as yet be eligible to compete against other political parties at the 2012 general elections.

The President of the Court of Appeal, Claudio Ximenes said that the decision was made on the 21st of June 2011.

“I have already delivered my decision,” Claudio briefly told journalists after his meeting with the President of the Republic at the Presidential Palace at Ai Tarak Laran this week.

However, FRETILIN Reform still has the opportunity to become a registered political party when they have changed their name and symbol that had previously been proposed to be those similar to FRETILIN’s. FRETILIN Reform lodged their application for registration with the Court of Appeal on the 3rd of May 2011 and the Court delivered its decision on the 21st of June 2011.

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