East Timor: a tough road ahead, Loro Horta

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:43:00 +0100

After the relatively violence-free presidential elections in East Timor in April-May 2007, many hope that the country may finally be heading on a road to normality after more than two years of internal violence and chaos. But if the successful two-round presidential polls are an important first step, severe challenges lie ahead. Indeed the real test for the small and vulnerable southeast Asian nation may lie on 30 June 2007 when the nation elects its prime minister and parliament - the source of real power under the constitution.

The peaceful election and the acceptance of the results by East Timor's major party, the Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente (Fretilin) suggest that some optimism confidence for the country's democratic future might be justified. But disturbing events and trends emerged during the campaign which have the potential to severely undermine the country's stability and even its very existence as a viable nation-state.
Loro Horta earned degrees at Sydney University and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He worked in Mozambique for several years, and served as an advisor to East Timor's defence department. He is the son of East Timor's new president, José Ramos Horta. The views expressed in his openDemocracy articles are his own.

Also by Loro Horta in openDemocracy:

"East Timor: a nation divided" (9 June 2006)

"A job from hell: Timor-Leste's prime minister"
(3 August 2006)

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East Timor: a tough road ahead, Loro Horta