DILI (Reuters) – The top two candidates in East Timor’s presidential poll on Tuesday appeared set for a second round next month, despite the latest vote count showing a commanding lead for Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta. The election body, which carries the latest count on its website, has yet to confirm the second round. But if no candidate secures more than 50% of votes, the poll will proceed to a runoff on April 19. Almost two decades after gaining independence from neighbouring Indonesia, East Timor held its fifth presidential election on Saturday – a race crowded with key resistance figures who remain prominent in the running of Asia’s youngest nation to this day. In East Timor, the president is responsible for appointing the government and also has the power to dissolve parliament.

Source: MetroXpress March 22, 2022 01:26 UTC