Former guerrilla Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor’s presidential runoff by a wide margin, preliminary results showed yesterday, 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 far behind 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, minor, probably 1 or 2 percentage points, but without a clear swing or fluctation of points” in the final count, 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.
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 quarrelling, 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.
Next month, East Timor will celebrate 10 years of independence, which came after three years of UN 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 this year 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.”
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 UN 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.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese