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| A television shows the tally indicating a win for Taur Matan Ruak (R) at the district electoral commission in Dili on Tuesday. Former guerrilla and defense chief Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor's run-off presidential vote, preliminary results showed. (AFP Photo) |
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Dili.
Former guerrilla Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor’s presidential run-off by a
wide margin, preliminary results showed Tuesday, in a pivotal year for the
nation almost a decade after independence.
Ruak, who
had campaigned in military fatigues to highlight his role in the fight against
Indonesian occupation, won 61.23 percent of the vote, according to figures from
the elections secretariat, which organized Monday’s polls
His
challenger Francisco Guterres — also a hero in the independence struggle and
popularly known by his nom de guerre “Lu Olo” — trailed with 38.77 percent,
according to the count.
All the
results have been counted but they must be examined by the court of appeals
before they are officially announced.
“We are
very much elevated by the result, by the current outcome,” said Ruak’s
spokesman Fidelis Magalhaes.
“We expect
to see some changes [in the final count], minor, probably one or two percentage
points, but without a clear swing or fluctuation of points,” he added.
If confirmed,
Ruak, also a former defense chief, will become the leader of the impoverished
and oil-dependent country, replacing Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta,
who trailed in third place in the first round on March 17.
The streets
of Dili were quiet Tuesday, with no sign of celebration, unlike the campaigning
when hundreds of supporters from both sides sped past on motorcycles and buses,
flashing victory signs.
An
international poll observer said the wide margin left no room for dispute over
the results.
“If there
was a close result there could have been some quarreling, and while it’s not a
landslide, this is a clear victory,” said Rui Feijo, an election observer and
researcher from Portugal’s Coimbra University.
The vote
marked the first in a series of key events in the chronically unstable country,
still traumatized by Indonesia’s brutal 24-year occupation which ended with a
1999 referendum for independence.
In May,
East Timor will celebrate 10 years of independence, which came after three
years of United Nations administration. On July 7, voters will choose a new
government in a general election.
The UN has
said peacekeepers stationed in East Timor since 1999 would pull out as planned
by the end of 2012 if both elections were peaceful.
A spokesman
for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday’s vote had taken place in a
“peaceful and orderly manner”.
The United
States also congratulated East Timor on the election, saying that available
information showed it was “free and fair”.
“We
strongly support the country in its efforts to strengthen democratic
institutions and consolidate peace and security. And of course, this election
constitutes a significant step in that process,” State Department spokesman
Mark Toner said on Monday.
While Ruak,
55, sought to burnish military credentials throughout the campaign, Lu Olo, 57,
has shed his guerrilla image, earning a law degree and campaigning in a suit
and tie.
Ruak, who
resigned as defense chief late last year to run for president, has vowed to
introduce mandatory military service if elected.
He has been
accused by the United Nations of involvement in illegal weapons transfers in
2006 when rioting and factional fighting left the nation on the brink of civil
war. However, no attempts have been made to prosecute him.
While the
presidency is largely ceremonial, it has enjoyed a high profile under
Ramos-Horta.
Among East
Timor’s many teething problems as a fledgling nation is its heavy reliance on
energy reserves, which account for around 90 percent of state revenues.
East Timor
is labelled by the International Monetary Fund as the “most oil-dependent
economy in the world”, relying on a petroleum fund that reached $9.3 billion
last year.
More than
458,000 Timorese, or 73 percent of more than 627,000 registered voters, went to
the polls Monday, the elections secretariat said.
Agence France-Presse
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