East Timor: After his party won the parliamentary election in May, former East Timor independence fighter Xanana Gusmao was sworn in as prime minister of Asia's youngest nation on Saturday.

The former guerrilla leader was greeted with cheers as he rode in a motorcade to the presidential palace in Dili, the nation's capital, where he and his cabinet members were sworn in by President Jose Ramos-Horta, another freedom fighter who had fought against Indonesian rule.

The Democratic Party and Gusmao's CNRT, or National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor, have joined forces to form the new administration.
Gusmao, 77, led the country as its first president from 2002 to 2007 and as its prime minister from 2007 to 2015.

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His party received 41% of the vote in the May election, winning 31 of the 65 seats in the National Parliament. Gusmao decided to form a government with the Democratic Party, which garnered six seats but fell just short of the 33 required for an absolute majority.

The election outcome demonstrated widespread discontent with the previous administration, which was led by the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin).

Gusmao will have a difficult time solving the country's economic problems given that an estimated 1.5 million people—nearly 42 percent of the population—live below the poverty line. According to UN estimates, 42 babies born in the nation per 1,000 die before turning five from malnutrition.

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Gusmao pledged to end poverty through his country's strategic development plan and reemphasized the significance of national harmony and cohesion in achieving development objectives.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Gusmao said, "I promise to carry out the tasks that the people have given to me and to bring prosperity to the Timorese people through government programmes.

He promised to give local governments the chance to create their own development plans, including ones that would boost maternal and child health services.

The Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, an envoy for Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan were present at the ceremony.

65 percent of the population in the nation is under 30 years old. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 20 years after gaining formal independence in 2002, there is a dearth of essential infrastructure, such as paved roads and a steady supply of electricity in rural areas.

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Gusmao is a charismatic leader with a wealth of leadership experience, according to Joao Agustino Sarmento, a resident of Dili. But we want to see him implement more significant changes with his new administration to combat the persistent poverty and unemployment in our nation.

East Timor's leaders have struggled with extreme poverty, unemployment, and corruption during the country's difficult transition to democracy. The economy depends on declining revenues from offshore oil