Francisco Xavier do Amaral

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Francisco Xavier do Amaral
transitional President of East Timor
In office November 28, 1975 – December 7, 1975
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Nicolau dos Reis Lobato

Born	1937 Portuguese Timor
Political party	Fretilin
Spouse	N/A

Francisco Xavier do Amaral (b. 1937) is an East Timorese politician. A founder of the Frente Revolucionaria de Timor Leste Independente (Fretilin), he was sworn in as President when the country, then a Portuguese colony, made a unilateral declaration of independence on November 28, 1975. He has been a member of the National Parliament of East Timor since 2001.

Following the Indonesian invasion of the country on December 7th, he fled into the mountains. He was ousted from Fretilin in 1977 amid disagreements over strategy for opposing the Indonesian occupation. A Fretilin faction took him prisoner, moving him frequently as they battled the Indonesian military forces. He was abandoned in August 1978 when his Fretilin captors were ambushed, and was promptly arrested by Indonesian forces. He was placed under effective house arrest first in Bali, then after 1983 in Jakarta, until Indonesia withdrew from East Timor in 1999.

In April 2002, Amaral ran against Xanana Gusmão in the presidential elections, but was soundly defeated. During the campaign he said that he fully expected to lose to Gusmão, but felt that running was symbolically important, demonstrating the strength of East Timor's democracy by ensuring that Gusmão had competition in the race.