East Timor Voters Turn Out For Presidential Election, Runoff Expected

April 9, 2007 10:44 a.m. EST

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006991553

Linda Young - All Headline News Staff Writer
Dili, East Timor (AHN) - The presidential election in East Timor on Monday marked the first since 2002 when the impoverished nation gained its independence from Indonesia. The eight-way race, which includes a Nobel laureate, is expected to result in a run-off election.

The post is mostly ceremonial and whoever is elected will serve for five years.

Political analysts once thought that Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta was a sure winner. Ramos-Horta won the 1996 Peace Prize for his work to free East Timor from decades of brutal rule by Indonesia.

A run-off election would be held in a month between the two candidates who win the most votes in Monday's election.

The country has stabilized after a bout of violent unrest last year.

The voting went smoothly with support for protecting the polls from some 3,000 international police and troops on the streets, BBC news reported Monday.

Official votes won't be available until April 16, but preliminary results will be available on Wednesday.

In the meantime, according to International Herald-Tribune reports, here are the unofficial results from National Election Committee spokesman Martinho Gusmao: The top three vote getters so far were independent Ramos-Horta, former guerrilla fighter and leader of the Fretilin party Francisco "Lu-olo" Guterres and Democratic Party candidate and resistance leader Fernando "Lasama" de Araujo.