East Timor set for presidential runoff election in April

DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor is headed for a runoff presidential election after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta failed to secure more than 50% of the vote despite a commanding lead over a fellow former independence fighter, incumbent President   Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres. The National Election Commission said Ramos-Horta received 46.6% of the vote in last week’s election and Guterres got 22.1%. A runoff is scheduled for April 19, and the winner will take office on May 20, the 20th anniversary of East Timor’s bloody independence from Indonesia. Ramos-Horta and Guterres have traded accusations of causing a political paralysis. The president is responsible for naming the government and dissolving parliament. In 2018, Guterres refused to swear in Cabinet nominees, triggering a crisis.