Ex-guerrilla fighter poised to win East Timor presidency | Asian Correspondent
AP News, Apr 17, 2012
DILI, East Timor (AP) — A former guerrilla fighter who went on to become East Timor’s army chief is on course to be the tiny, turbulent nation’s new president.
Provisional election results show Taur Matan Ruak got 61 percent of the vote, while his chief rival Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres pulled in 38 percent.
The results released Tuesday by the National Election Commission need to be examined by the court of appeals before they are officially announced.
But the wide gap means victory for Ruak is all but assured.
The role of president is largely ceremonial in East Timor, a Southeast Asian nation of 1.1 million people, but the appointment comes at a crucial time for the region’s newest and poorest nation.
U.N. peacekeeping troops are preparing for a possible withdrawal.
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