TIMORESE TURN OUT IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR UN-RUN ELECTION

East Timorese turned out at polling stations in large numbers today – an estimated 86.3 percent – as the soon-to-be independent nation voted for its first-ever democratically elected President in a UN-run ballot.

UN election officials said the preliminary estimate of voter turnout was 379,116 of the territory’s 439,000 eligible voters. UN Police reported only three minor incidents during the 7am-to-4pm polling period.

Sergio Vieira de Mello, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor, called the vote “a truly historic moment” and congratulated the East Timorese for the high turnout.

“The East Timorese have shown their enthusiasm for the democratic process that has taken root here. That comes as no surprise to me. Like last year, the East Timorese have again proved to the world that maturity, security and tolerance is the ‘Timorese way’ of participating in elections,” Vieira de Mello said after the close of the polling.

“Independence will come in less than 40 days and this was the last fundamental step before we can all celebrate the launch of the first new nation of the millennium,” he added. “Who would have thought that together we could have travelled such a long distance in such a short time?”

Counting of the ballots will begin tomorrow and the final result of the election is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, 17 April. Some individual district results may be announced on 16 April. The winner will be sworn in on 20 May, shortly after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan declares the former Portuguese colony an independent nation.

Carlos Valenzuela, the Chief Electoral Officer of UNTAET’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), praised the voters and the East Timorese and international polling staff for the efficient balloting process.

“The smoothness of the polling operation was due in large part to the exemplary behaviour of the voters,” Valenzuela said late Sunday night.

The election’s two candidates – Legislative Assembly Vice President Francisco Xavier do Amaral and independence leader Xanana Gusmão – voted together at a polling centre in Dili. After casting their ballots, the two shook hands and waved to a crowd of local and international media.

The emphasis on this election has been on the “Timorisation” of the process. Unlike the previous two UN-run ballots in East Timor – the 1999 Popular Consultation on the future of the territory and the 2001 Constituent Assembly election – East Timorese hold a majority of seats on the IEC Board, control all 13 district electoral offices and roughly half the polling centres, and will participate in the counting of the ballots.

“I would like to pay particular tribute to our East Timorese staff,” Valenzuela said. “Their dedication and hard work made this election the success that it is.”

Thousands of independent observers and political agents monitored the vote. Nearly 3,000 party and candidate agents were accredited by the IEC, and more than 2,000 East Timorese and international observers were registered.

Special efforts were made by the IEC to ensure that all eligible refugees returning from West Timor, Indonesia, could register and vote. Although exact numbers of returning refugees during election week are not yet known, the IEC said today that the final number is likely to be in the range of 2,500 to 3,000.

Ballots from the 282 polling centres began arriving this evening at the 13 District Electoral Offices for counting. The national result will be tallied at an IEC centre in Dili. The winner will be determined by a simple majority of valid ballots.