Maria Fernanda Lay

Maria Fernanda Lay (born 1954) is a politician in Timor-Leste. She has been a member of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste since 2007. In 2023, she was elected as president of the National Parliament, becoming the first woman to lead the body.

Early life and education Maria Fernanda Lay was born in 1954 in Baucau, Portuguese Timor. She holds a bachelor's degree from a telecommunications school in Bandung, Indonesia. She later worked as a project manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Lay subsequently pursued a political career as a member of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) party.

Lay pointed out that the Constitution designates Portuguese as an official language of Timor-Leste. She criticized Guterres in turn for allegedly having made racist comments, saying that the rival lawmaker had called her a china pirata ("Chinese pirate"). The two began physically fighting, and they had to be separated by other legislators. She is the first woman to be elected as speaker of the body.