East Timor presidential candidate Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres conceded defeat yesterday to Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta after losing this week's election.
"I bow to the decision of the majority of the people. I accept it [defeat] because I respect the principle of democracy and we should now help each other to bring this country forward," Guterres said.
"I congratulate Jose Ramos-Horta in this election," the former freedom fighter told a press conference.
"I hope he can be a president that maintains our independence and the unity of Timor Leste," he said referring to the nation by its formal name.
Ramos-Horta won a landslide victory in Wednesday's election, winning 69 percent of the vote compared with 31 percent for Guterres.
The result has yet to be declared official by the court of appeal.
East Timorese, who voted in large numbers on Wednesday, are hopeful the decisive election of Ramos-Horta will help secure peace and stability in the tiny nation after a year of bloodshed and unrest.
The election was East Timor's first since it won independence in 2002 after a bloody separation from occupying Indonesia three years earlier.
The outcome is a major blow to the ruling Fretilin party, the former resistance movement which fought against Indonesian forces for independence.
Guterres, who is president of the party, said earlier yesterday that he would now focus on parliamentary polls next month.
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