Lancero
04-11-2007, 12:04 PM
Runoff poll for E Timor
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Dili, East Timor
April 12, 2007EAST Timorese parliamentary Speaker Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres will go to a runoff presidential election against Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta, based on provisional figures released yesterday by the country's electoral commission.
Audio: Stephen Fitzpatrick reports from Dili (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21542716-2702,00.html#)
The ruling Fretilin party's candidate for the largely symbolic top job, Mr Guterres drew on the one-time Marxist organisation's massive grassroots support across the country, as well as its powerful rank-and-file army of volunteer workers, to take a clear first place. However, his result - 28 per cent on the provisional figures - was not strong enough to avoid the runoff poll.
Five of the eight candidates in the national vote, including third-placed Fernando "Lasama" de Araujo, whose strong showing helped to force the poll to next month's second-round vote, declared yesterday they would not accept the results.
Demanding a recount, the group of dissenters alleged irregularities, including the apparent disappearance of more than 600 votes from booths in the capital, Dili, and interference by unnamed government members at voting booths across the country on Monday.
One of the protesting group, Lucia Lobato, said they would urge their supporters to boycott the second-round vote unless the electoral commission agreed to their demands for a recount.
Ms Lobato said that, even if their demands were met, she and her colleagues would not be directing votes in favour of Mr Ramos Horta at the runoff, leaving the Nobel Peace Prize laureate potentially exposed once again to the slick Fretilin campaign machine.
Opponents have accused Fretilin leaders of being autocratic and of not listening to the people. However, the party's inner circle has been supremely confident since Tuesday, when its force of thousands of scrutineers at more than 500 booths, working alongside the official government scrutineers, began delivering results.
Provisional results after a first count finished at 4pm yesterday gave Mr Guterres 28.79 per cent of the vote, against Mr Ramos Horta's 22.6 per cent. The electoral commission said that of a total registered voting pool of 522,933, it had counted 357,766 valid ballots.
However, it was unable to say how many of the total registered voters had cast a vote on Monday, leading to allegations of a lack of transparency which, in East Timor's volatile social environment, has caused authorities to worry about potential outbreaks of violence.
Party strategist Harold Moucho yesterday said he was happy with the result but complained many potential Fretilin voters had been too frightened to vote.
"Ninety per cent of the houses destroyed in Dili last year belonged to Fretilin, and most of the people in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps in Dili are Fretilin," Mr Moucho said.
"Many of them were intimidated into not voting."
The electoral commission came under fire yesterday in a report delivered by European Union observers who noted that its spokesman, Catholic priest Father Martinho Gusmao, openly supported Mr de Araujo's candidacy several days before the poll. Next month's runoff will be followed by parliamentary elections on June 30, which are likely to be contested by current president Kay Rala "Xanana" Gusmao, who hopes to become prime minister.
Plans for a Gusmao-Horta leadership for the next five years appear to be in serious doubt.
source (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21542716-2702,00.html)
Good that the election went with no major incidents. Hope the runoff will be as good.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Dili, East Timor
April 12, 2007EAST Timorese parliamentary Speaker Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres will go to a runoff presidential election against Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta, based on provisional figures released yesterday by the country's electoral commission.
Audio: Stephen Fitzpatrick reports from Dili (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21542716-2702,00.html#)
The ruling Fretilin party's candidate for the largely symbolic top job, Mr Guterres drew on the one-time Marxist organisation's massive grassroots support across the country, as well as its powerful rank-and-file army of volunteer workers, to take a clear first place. However, his result - 28 per cent on the provisional figures - was not strong enough to avoid the runoff poll.
Five of the eight candidates in the national vote, including third-placed Fernando "Lasama" de Araujo, whose strong showing helped to force the poll to next month's second-round vote, declared yesterday they would not accept the results.
Demanding a recount, the group of dissenters alleged irregularities, including the apparent disappearance of more than 600 votes from booths in the capital, Dili, and interference by unnamed government members at voting booths across the country on Monday.
One of the protesting group, Lucia Lobato, said they would urge their supporters to boycott the second-round vote unless the electoral commission agreed to their demands for a recount.
Ms Lobato said that, even if their demands were met, she and her colleagues would not be directing votes in favour of Mr Ramos Horta at the runoff, leaving the Nobel Peace Prize laureate potentially exposed once again to the slick Fretilin campaign machine.
Opponents have accused Fretilin leaders of being autocratic and of not listening to the people. However, the party's inner circle has been supremely confident since Tuesday, when its force of thousands of scrutineers at more than 500 booths, working alongside the official government scrutineers, began delivering results.
Provisional results after a first count finished at 4pm yesterday gave Mr Guterres 28.79 per cent of the vote, against Mr Ramos Horta's 22.6 per cent. The electoral commission said that of a total registered voting pool of 522,933, it had counted 357,766 valid ballots.
However, it was unable to say how many of the total registered voters had cast a vote on Monday, leading to allegations of a lack of transparency which, in East Timor's volatile social environment, has caused authorities to worry about potential outbreaks of violence.
Party strategist Harold Moucho yesterday said he was happy with the result but complained many potential Fretilin voters had been too frightened to vote.
"Ninety per cent of the houses destroyed in Dili last year belonged to Fretilin, and most of the people in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps in Dili are Fretilin," Mr Moucho said.
"Many of them were intimidated into not voting."
The electoral commission came under fire yesterday in a report delivered by European Union observers who noted that its spokesman, Catholic priest Father Martinho Gusmao, openly supported Mr de Araujo's candidacy several days before the poll. Next month's runoff will be followed by parliamentary elections on June 30, which are likely to be contested by current president Kay Rala "Xanana" Gusmao, who hopes to become prime minister.
Plans for a Gusmao-Horta leadership for the next five years appear to be in serious doubt.
source (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21542716-2702,00.html)
Good that the election went with no major incidents. Hope the runoff will be as good.