East Timor presidential election heads for second round

East Timor’s presidential elections may require a second round of voting, a top election official said today.

Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for championing East Timor’s struggle to end decades of brutal Indonesian rule, had initially been seen as the favourite for the largely-ceremonial five-year post.

But he acknowledged he may have lost support after taking over a transitional Dili government dominated by rival politicians several months ago.

An outright majority is needed to avoid a run-off which – together with crucial parliamentary elections in June – could prolong tensions in the country of fewer than one million people.

Election Commission spokesman Martinho Gusmao said that with 20% of votes counted, Ramos-Horta, an independent, had a narrow lead over Fernando “Lasama” de Araujo of the Democratic Party.

“So far we see from one candidate to another there is a small difference,” he said, noting that partial results had come in from eight of 13 districts. “Perhaps no candidate will win more than 50%.”

East Timor was heralded as a success in nation-building when it formally declared independence in 2002. Yet it descended into chaos last year after then-Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri fired a third of the tiny army, provoking gun battles 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.

Peace largely returned with the arrival of nearly 3,000 international peacekeepers, but there has been sporadic unrest. Tens of thousands of refugees have yet to return home, and the country remains desperately poor, with 50% unemployment.

Preliminary results are expected tomorrow and the final announcement on April 19. A run-off vote provisionally would be held on May 8.