Former East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, a former independence fighter and Nobel laureate, claimed victory in the second round of presidential elections on Thursday. He defeated incumbent President Francisco Guterres for a second time. That reports AP.
The 72-year-old Ramos-Horta, a resistance leader during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, recorded a resounding victory: after counting more than 60 percent of the vote, he stood at 61.7 percent. Guterres received 38.3 percent and has agreed to accept the result. Official results of the ballot, which was held on Tuesday, are expected next week.
Ramos-Horta, who was president from 2007 to 2012, had a large lead in the first round, but did not reach the 50 percent needed to win straight away. He also defeated Guterres in 2007. The two candidates blamed each other for years of political paralysis during the campaign.
Asia’s Youngest Democracy
The former president pledged to reduce poverty, improve health care and create jobs in Asia’s youngest democracy. He will take office again on May 20, the twentieth anniversary of East Timor’s independence.
The former Portuguese colony was occupied by neighboring Indonesia for a quarter of a century. The country gained independence in 2002, following a referendum in 1999. The Indonesian military responded with attacks that largely destroyed the eastern part of the island of Timor.
Ramos-Horta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, along with Catholic Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo, for their role in achieving a peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor.