DILI, East Timor (AP) – East Timor’s presidential election will see a second round after Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta missed 50% of the vote against President Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres.
According to the National Electoral Commission, Ramos-Horta had 46.6% of the vote in last week’s elections versus Guterres’ 22.1%.
The tiebreak date has been set for April 19, and the winner will ascend to the presidency on May 20, the 20th anniversary of the independence struggle against Indonesia.
Ramos-Horta, who was also president from 2007 to 2012, has shared allegations with Guterres about who is responsible for the current political deadlock.
The President is responsible for appointing a government team and dissolving Parliament. In 2018, Guterres refused to swear in nine cabinet members appointed by the National Congress for East Timor’s Reconstruction, a party led by former prime minister and pro-independence leader Xanana Gusmao, who supported Ramos-Horta in the elections.
Guterres is a member of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor, which led the struggle for independence.
Source: Associated Press