East Timor votes for president in runoff amid political feud
ABC News
Voters in East Timor are choosing a president in a runoff Tuesday between former independence fighters who've blamed each other for years of political paralysis
DILI, East Timor -- Voters in East Timor are choosing a president in a runoff Tuesday between former independence fighters who’ve blamed each other for years of political paralysis.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta had a commanding lead in the first round of voting last month, but failed to secure more than 50% of the vote and avoid the runoff. Ramos-Horta received 46.6%, incumbent President Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres won 22.1% and the other votes were divided among 14 other candidates in the March 19 election.
Ramos-Horta, 72, and Guterres, 67, were both resistance figures during Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor. More than 76% of the votes last month went to resistance-era figures, showing how much they dominate politics two decades later and despite younger voices emerging.
The winner of their runoff takes office on May 20, the 20th anniversary of the restoration of East Timor’s independence.
