Popular Consultation Day (East Timor)

Popular Consultation Day is a public holiday in East Timor (Timor-Leste), observed on August 30 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the 1999 East Timorese independence referendum.

East Timor is an island country in Southeast Asia. The Portuguese arrived in the early 16th century and became a Portuguese colony in 1702. During World War II, Australian and Dutch forces occupied East Timor in 1941, and the Japanese occupied it in 1942. East Timor was returned to Portugal in 1945, but the Portuguese abandoned it in 1974.

On November 28, 1975, the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) declared independence. However, the Indonesian military occupied East Timor on December 7, 1975, nine days after the independence.

The Indonesian occupation lasted 24 years and was marked by violence and brutality. Approximately 200,000 people died of the massacre, hunger, and illness. On August 30, 1999, the United Nation sponsored the independence referendum asking for greater autonomy within Indonesia or independence. Over 78% of voters favored independence. Following the referendum, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory in 1999.

The following is the list of Popular Consultation Day in East Timor (Timor-Leste) from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in East Timor (Timor-Leste):