Despite the headlines, there hasn't actually been an official result in East Timor's presidential election. But with 90% of the votes counted, Prime Minister and Noble prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta is leading with 73% of the vote. It looks like Fretilin has received a real drubbing, and they may have serious trouble in the Parliamentary elections in June.
East Timor Journal isn't the only blogger covering the count BTW; Dili-gence managed to attach themselves to an election monitoring team, and has also been reporting on the results. It's a good example of bloggers playing at journalist, and one that should be encouraged. And if I wasn't so attached to election-night parties, I might consider doing it myself next time there's an election here.
Talk of a sweeping and unifying victory for Horta is misguided - this result, which was obtained by shabby backroom deals and Anzac bullying, will deepen rather than heal East Timor's divisions:
ReplyDeletehttp://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2007/05/hortas-victory-behind-hype.html