Gusmao takes unassailable lead in East Timor election

Former guerrilla leader Jose Alexandre ‘Xanana’ Gusmao has taken an unassailable lead in East Timor’s first presidential elections since achieving independence from Indonesia.

With 89% of the votes counted, Mr Gusmao was leading with 79.4%, with his sole challenger, Francisco Xavier do Amaral, trailing with 18%.

The remaining ballots have been ruled invalid and Mr Gusmao will be declared the official winner tomorrow.

The presidential election was seen as the final step in East Timor’s long and bloody battle for independence from Indonesia, which invaded East Timor after Portugal abandoned the colony in 1975.

Mr Gusmao, a 56-year-old painter and poet, joined the Fretelin (Revolutionary Front for the Independence of East Timor) guerrilla group in 1974 and became its leader four years later.

In November 1992, he was captured by the Indonesian army and sentenced to 20 years in prison for subversion. During his time in jail, the charismatic guerrilla continued his campaign for peace and negotiations and earned recognition worldwide for his efforts.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela visited him in prison in Jakarta in July 1997. He was freed In September 1999.