Run-off presidential vote looks certain in East Timor

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ZAKKI HAKIM
Associated Press

DILI, EAST TIMOR — East Timor headed toward a run-off presidential vote Wednesday after partial election results showed two candidates in a near dead heat — a situation that could prolong this fledgling nation's political instability.

Five candidates immediately protested, alleging in a letter to the electoral commission that figures had been manipulated. They demanded all ballot boxes be secured in a single place and be recounted in public.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta initially had been seen as the favourite for the largely ceremonial five-year post, but he acknowledged losing support after working with bitter political rivals when the country was plunged to the brink of civil war one year ago.

With more than 70 per cent of the ballots counted, Mr. Ramos-Horta, running as an independent, was trailing Francisco (Lu-Olo) Guterres of the left-wing Fretilin party by just over 5 per cent, said the National Election Commission.

With an absolute majority needed for a win — a run-off between the two top candidates on May 8 was all but certain.

“Everything indicates a second ballot,” Mr. Ramos-Horta, 57, told reporters, urging all candidates to respect the final tally to be released on April 19. “Whatever the outcome, we must all honour it and work toward a peaceful acceptance.”

East Timor was heralded as a success in nation-building when it formally declared independence from Indonesia in 2002. But it descended into chaos last year after then-prime minister Mari Alkatiri fired a third of the tiny army, provoking gun attles between rival security forces that spiralled into gang warfare and looting.

At least 37 people were killed and some 155,000 fled their homes before the government collapsed.

Mr. Ramos-Horta and his close ally, outgoing President Xanana Gusmao — who will run for prime minister in the more crucial parliamentary elections this June — are hoping to sideline the traditionally popular Fretilin party.

The left-wing party, which has a majority in Parliament, said before Monday's vote it would accept nothing short of victory.

Adding to tensions, five candidates claimed fraud even before all ballots were tallied.

“We demand that the National Election Commission recount the votes. We have found a clear manipulation during the count,” said Lucia Lobato, the only female candidate, though she did not elaborate.

“If the CNE doesn't listen to our demand we will not accept the result of the elections.”

Mr. Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for championing East Timor's struggle to end decades of brutal Indonesian rule, replaced Mr. Alkatiri as prime minister last year. Though by far the best-known of the eight candidates, turnout at his recent election campaign rallies was lower than expected.

Angry protests broke out last month when Australian troops tried to capture popular rebel leader Alfredo Reinado in a raid backed by the Nobel laureate. Mr. Reinado escaped, but four of his followers were killed.

Mr. Ramos-Horta, who ran as an independent, has also been criticized for failing to imprison former interior minister Rogerio Lobato, accused of helping arm civilian militias during last year's unrest.

East Timor was a Portuguese colony for more than three centuries before it was invaded by Indonesia in 1976. Insurgents spent the next 24 years fighting the occupation, a struggle Mr. Ramos-Horta championed from exile.

When its people voted for independence in 1999, Indonesian troops and their militia allies went on a rampage, killing more than 1,000 people and razing Dili to the ground.