News

Veterans face off in final round of East Timor presidential poll | Elections News


The second and final round of presidential elections in East Timor – officially Timor-Leste – is underway, with the region’s newest nation facing a generational crossroads.

Since its independence in 2002, after 25 years of brutal occupation by Indonesia, this country of 1.3 million people has experienced years of political upheaval and tumultuous elections with the participation of a staunch political leader. small group of familiar faces.

In the current campaign, political veteran and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta – running as an independent candidate – needs to improve. First performance with only 30,000 votes to secure the presidency.

The 72-year-old former president and prime minister lacked just the 50% share of the vote needed to avoid an outflow in the first vote in March.

His opponent is incumbent President Francisco ‘Lu Olo’ Guterres, the leader of the longstanding resistance-era political party FRETILIN (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor).

Mr. Guterres, 67, a veteran of the uprising against the occupation, finished the first round with just over 20% of the vote.

Meanwhile, lurking in the wings is charismatic independence hero Xanana Gusmao, leader of the CNRT (National Congress of Timorese Reconstruction) party and the country’s first president and fourth prime minister.

Two male election officers hold ballots aloft during the counting of votes in the first round of elections in Timor in March
Veterans of Timor Leste’s fight for independence from Indonesia continue to dominate the country’s politics 20 years after it officially gained freedom [File: Lirio da Fonseca/Reuters]

With an eye on next year’s parliamentary elections and hoping to return to office, the 75-year-old has dropped his support behind Ramos-Horta.

Michael Leach, a professor of politics and international relations at Swinburne University in Australia, told Al Jazeera: “Senior elected positions in Timor-Leste are still dominated by the politicians of the 1975 era.”

“It feels like a legacy election for that generation. This is an election where they establish their legacies and so a lot is at stake. The question then is how they bring in the next generation of leaders. ”

Economic challenge

East Timor has one of the youngest populations in the region, with an average age of 20 years, facing increase in unemployment and the reluctance of political leaders to diversify away from gas and oil and into education, agriculture, and tourism.

At least 20 percent of eligible voters are 17 years old and participating in their first election.

Researcher Abrao Pereira, 35, told Al Jazeera: “The current candidates in foreign elections are old faces in the politics of Timor-Leste. “I really want to have a new face with a new color, a new hope in politics.

“It’s good for young people to get involved in politics. Because this is the way to influence the big changes of the country in terms of big decisions that need to be made at the top level.”

Pereira added that he wants to see the future of East Timor as the primary focus of the election, not old opponents.

“For me, the future of [Timor Leste’s] Children rely heavily on the actions of politics today. A power struggle has taken center stage and if this is the ongoing political situation, I don’t see a better future for the children of this country.”

“Key political leaders need to understand that what they are doing affects not only what is happening now, but will have lasting effects on generations to come.”

Ramos-Horta has campaigned to bring stability to the government and hinted he could call early parliamentary elections if he wins.

Guterres’ campaign has been marred in part by skirmishes within his party, but he told reporters in Dili he is confident he will win.

“I am confident that I will win again,” Guterres said.

“I urge everyone to accept any outcome and I’m ready to work with whoever wins this election.”

Supporters of former East Timorese leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta wave flags and cheer at a rally during the first round of the presidential election
Supporters of former East Timorese leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta show their support for the veteran politician at a rally in March [Lirio da Fonseca/Reuters]

Political rivalry between the president and parliament has also fueled instability in the embodiment of government.

In 2018, Guterres refused to be sworn in before seven of CNRT’s ministers, citing allegations of corruption or poor conduct.

“This highlights the tension between Fretilin and CNRT, and the underlying issue of ‘cohabiting’ when the president and prime minister come from different parties,” said Leach.

Having been in opposition for two years, Gusmao hopes that by backing Ramos-Horta as president, he can engineer a path back to power despite his years of promotion.

If Ramos-Horta wins, Gusmao will more than likely push for the resumption of the controversial Tasi Mane oil and gas project, an initiative that has been halted by the current FRETILIN government.

The project requires invest the majority funds of small countries into an oil and gas project on the south coast of the island. Opponents of the project say gambling the nation’s wealth on a finite resource is too great a risk to accept.

However, it is also considered Gusmao’s Legacy Projecthence the backing of veteran politician Ramos-Horta.

New idea

In turn, Gusmao’s public support of Ramos-Horta gave the independent candidate the vote boost needed to give him a serious shot at the presidency.

Fretilin party supporters chant slogans and wave the party's red, yellow and black flags at a rally in March
Fretilin party supporters chant slogans and wave flags during a rally for incumbent president Francisco Guterres, known as Lu Olo, during his re-election campaign in Dili, East Timor [Valentino Dariel/AFP]

However, young voters say that instead of making such political deals, it’s time for new ideas.

Tina Quintas, a 33-year-old teacher, said: “The older generation should give young people opportunities to get involved in politics. “It’s not because they’re old and incompetent to manage the country, it’s just for young people to participate in fresh, new ideas about how to better manage the country.

“If women are involved, it is important for gender equality. Every citizen has the right to participate in a democratic government. If women were more involved, things could get better for the better. That’s the attitude. If there were more women there could be more change.”

The East Timorese Electoral Law 2006 required that women make up one-third of the party’s candidates listed. As Mandatory quota which means that about a third of the members of parliament are women.

The incumbent deputy prime minister is a woman; Armanda Berta dos Santos is one of two deputy prime ministers and the leader of the Timor Sons National Abundance Organization (KHUNTO).

Her party sought to represent the disenfranchised youth of East Timor and won nearly nine percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential election.

East Timor has a strong history of voting commitment in a democratic political system, despite the instability and violence that sometimes accompanies the process.

Voter turnout was 77% in the first round of the presidential election last March, higher than the previous poll in 2017.

About 98 percent eligible population voted in the 1999 referendum for independence from Indonesia even if brutal fighting and attacks from the Indonesian army and armed groups causing thousands of people to flee.

There was also violence in the 2006 election, and in 2008, Ramos-Horta was shot assassination plot.

Given past pitches, Quintas said she hopes things will stay calm no matter the outcome.

“I just hope that the election will be peaceful, no drama, nothing happens. And I also hope that who will win that people will not react to that and just accept the result of the election.

“Hopefully whoever wins this time, they will carry out their plan and whatever they have promised the people of Timor-Leste and whoever wins will lead this country for a good future. more beautiful.”

The next president will be installed on May 20, the 20th anniversary of East Timor’s freedom from Indonesia.



Source link

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button
Immediate Peak