East Timor presidential candidate Jose Ramos Horta looks on as he talks to journalists after casting his ballot during the second round of East Timor鈥檚 presidential election in Dili, East Timor, April 19, 2022. REUTERS
DILI 鈥� Independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has taken a decisive lead in the second and final round of East Timor鈥檚 presidential election, early results of the vote showed on Wednesday.
Timorese voters headed to the polls in the half-island nation of 1.3 million on Tuesday, choosing between Ramos-Horta and ex-guerrilla fighter President Francisco 鈥淟u Olo鈥� Guterres.
With almost half of votes counted, Ramos-Horta had a commanding lead of 59% while Lu Olo had 41%, according to data from the country鈥檚 election administration body (STAE).
Ramos-Horta, 72, is one of East Timor鈥檚 best known political figures and previously served as prime minister then as the country鈥檚 second president from 2007 to 2012.
He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1996 for his efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict in East Timor when the country was brutally occupied by Indonesia.
In the first round of the election in April he narrowly missed securing an outright majority. An Australian academic calculated that he needed just 30,000 additional votes to secure victory in Tuesday鈥檚 second round.
Speaking after voting near his home in the capital of Dili, Ramos-Horta said he was 鈥渧ery confident鈥� he would win but would honour the final results.
After years of political tensions between major parties, this election has been widely viewed as crucial to the nation鈥檚 stability. Ramos-Horta has suggested he may use presidential powers to dissolve parliament and call for early elections, currently scheduled for next year.
East Timor鈥檚 first president, Xanana Gusmao, is backing Ramos-Horta in this election and has described the current government as 鈥渃onstitutionally illegitimate.鈥� Lu Olo, the incumbent, refused to swear in several ministers from Gusmao鈥檚 political party on the grounds they were facing ongoing legal investigations, including for alleged corruption.
The next president will be sworn in on May 20, the 20th anniversary of East Timor鈥檚 restoration of independence.
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