Fretilin
Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | FRETILIN |
| President | Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres |
| Secretary-General | Mari Alkatiri |
| Founders | Francisco Xavier do Amaral, Mari Alkatiri, José Ramos-Horta, Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, Justino Mota |
| Founded | 20 May 1974 (ASDT) 11 September 1974 (Fretilin) |
| Headquarters | Avenida Martires da Patria, Comoro, Dili, Timor-Leste |
| Youth wing | East Timor Youth and Students Organisation |
| Paramilitary wing | FALINTIL (1975–2001) |
| Ideology | Social democracy Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism Historical: Marxism-Leninism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Regional affiliation | Network of Social Democracy in Asia |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance |
| Colours | Red, black, and yellow |
| National Parliament | 19 / 65 |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| fretilin.tl | |
The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Portuguese: Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente, abbreviated as Fretilin) is a separatist organization turned centre-left political party in Timor-Leste. It presently holds 19 of 65 seats in the National Parliament. Fretilin formed the government in East Timor until its independence in 2002. It obtained the presidency in 2017 under Francisco Guterres but lost in the 2022 East Timorese presidential election.
Fretilin originally began as a resistance movement that fought for the independence of East Timor from Portugal in 1974 before transforming itself into a separatist organization that aspires, with success, to make the province of Timor Timur break away from Indonesia until 1999. Upon gaining her total independence in 2002, Fretilin became one of several parties competing for power in a multi-party system.