East Timor prepares for presidential election

East Timor goes to the polls tomorrow to pick a new president, with voters in the tiny nation to choose between Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta and an ex-fighter who spent years in the jungle battling Indonesian rule.

Ramos-Horta and Fransisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres have both pledged to accept the results of the vote, which many in Asia’s newest country hope will herald a new era of peace and stability following an often violent and politically divisive year.

“I will honour the result if Lu-Olo wins,” said Ramos-Horta, who is the acting prime minister. “My obligation is to stand behind him and support him, in whatever way I can,” said the 57-year-old.

The vote follows balloting last month that did not produce an outright winner.

Most analysts see Ramos-Horta – who fled East Timor during the occupation to became the international face of its freedom movement – as the favourite, especially since five losing candidates in the first round of voting are urging their supporters to back him.

But Guterres, 52, is backed by Fretilin, the political party of the nation’s former armed resistance to Jakarta’s rule. It traditionally has strong support across the country and a powerful party machine.

“I believe we will win Wednesday’s election,” said Guterres, adding he would “work with anyone who becomes president”.

East Timor broke free from 24 years of often brutal Indonesian rule in 1999 following a violence-plagued independence referendum. The bloodshed only stopped with the arrival of international peacekeepers.

The country was administered by the United Nations until 2002, and descended into chaos last year after then-Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri fired a third of the army following a mutiny, 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. A 1,200-strong Australian-led peacekeeping force has since restored order and, along with a similar-sized contingent of UN police officers, now provides national security.