A $1.8 million car fleet budget was approved with a 45-1 vote, with 11 abstentions.

The car budget, proposed by government and following months of deliberation from opposition party and civil society about spending priorities, would apply to buying 30 new Pajero Sports 4WD valued from $60,000.

The National Congress of Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), who have previously opposed the cost of buying new cars,  said it would no longer block the expense.

“The majority have made their decision,”  CNRT President Duarte Nunes said on Monday.

On Tuesday , Asia Justice and Rights Director Jose Luis de Oliveira labelled the government’s vote “disappointing”, claiming it ignored the country’s need for long-term fiscal sustainability amid the dwindling petroleum fund.