Timor Leste
Analysts feel a victory for former president in the second round looks certain given his healthy vote share
Counting of votes underway on March 19 after the first round of presidential polls in Timor-Leste. (Photo: CNE)
Nobel laureate and former president Jose Ramos-Horta and incumbent Fransicso “Lu-Olo” Guterres have emerged as the two highest-scoring winners in the March 19 vote for Timor-Leste’s presidential election, which was praised for being peaceful.
Based on results announced by the Technical Secretariat of the Electoral Administration on the afternoon of March 21, Ramos-Horta led with more than 270,000 votes (46 percent), while Lú-Olo won 134,000 votes (22 percent) among the 16 candidates.
The other candidates, including former Catholic priest Martinho Germano da Silva Gusmao, each scored just under 10 percent.
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Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that around 55,000 votes — all from the Dili Municipality — were yet to be counted. Even if they were votes favoring Ramos-Horta, it would still not be enough for him to reach the 50 percent plus one needed to win the first round.
The National Elections Commission (CNE) will release the official results later this week after verifying the votes, but election observers felt sure there would be no significant changes.
Professor Camilo Ximenes Almeida, a political analyst from the National University of Timor-Leste, said a victory for Ramos-Horta in the second round looked certain with the number of votes he gained differing greatly from those of his competitors.
“Xanana is not only a party leader but a unifying figure who is greatly admired by the people of Timor-Leste”
Apart from his track record as an influential figure, especially since winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his role in Timor-Leste’s independence struggle, an important factor for Ramos-Horta’s victory was the support of charismatic figure Xanana Gusmao, chairman of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), he said.
“Xanana is not only a party leader but a unifying figure who is greatly admired by the people of Timor-Leste,” Almeida told UCA News on March 21.
He added that some people even regarded Xanana as a savior god and not a human being.
Almeida said that the victory of old political figures and the lack of support for younger candidates meant there is still a need for consolidation and stronger ideas coming from candidates of the next generation if they are to compete in the next elections.
Domenec Ruiz Devesa, leader of the European Union’s electoral observation mission, lauded the smooth electoral process since the beginning of the campaign.
“Candidates were able to take part in the election without a hitch and the campaign was conducted peacefully,” he said while informing the media that 40 election observers monitored 174 polling stations across the country.
Almeida said the peaceful election is a sign that people’s awareness of democratic values in the Catholic-majority country is increasing.
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