Timor - Elections 2007
Timor-Leste is a multiparty parliamentary republic with a population of approximately 1.1 million. The country conducted two rounds of presidential voting in April and May and parliamentary elections in June. Voter participation was high, and the elections were considered generally free and fair. Former prime minister Jose Ramos-Horta was elected president; former president Xanana Gusmao, as head of a four-party coalition, became prime minister. The security forces included the UN Police (UNPOL) within the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) and the International Stabilization Force (ISF), neither of which were under the direct control of the government. While the civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the national police (PNTL) and the armed forces (F-FDTL), there were some instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of government authority.
The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, some human rights abuses persisted. Serious problems included: politically motivated and extrajudicial killings; police use of excessive force and abuse of authority; arbitrary arrest and detention; inefficient and understaffed courts that deprived citizens of due process and an expeditious and fair trial; and conditions in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) that endangered health, security, education, and women's and children's rights. Domestic violence, rape, and sexual abuse were also problems. Societal divisions based on political affiliation and regional origin continued to cause widespread discrimination, segregation, and violence, particularly in the capital.
Timor-Leste held presidential elections in the spring of 2007. On April 9, voters chose from a slate of eight candidates. With a voter turnout of almost 82%, the top two finishers were the FRETILIN Party candidate Francisco "Lu-olo" Guterres, who received 28% of the vote, and Jose Ramos-Horta, who received 22% of the vote after stepping down as Prime Minister to run as an independent candidate with the endorsement of then-President Xanana Gusmao. With none of the prospective candidates securing a majority of the vote, a second round was necessary. In the runoff election on May 9, required because the electoral law specifies that a candidate must win a majority, Ramos-Horta won by a landslide, receiving 69% of the vote. The presidential elections experienced some procedural glitches, but were largely free of violence and significant irregularity. Ramos-Horta was sworn in as President on 20 May 2007. Estanislau da Silva took over as interim Prime Minister, replacing Ramos-Horta.
The first parliamentary elections to be held since Timor-Leste became an independent State in 2002 took place on 30 June 2007. The parliamentary elections were preceded by presidential elections in May 2007 in which Mr. José Ramos-Horta defeated the FRETILIN candidate Mr. Francisco Guterres "Lu Olo" outgoing Speaker of the National Parliament. Mr. Ramos-Horta succeeded Mr. Xanana Gusmão the charismatic leader who had led the independence movement under the National Council of Timorese Resistance.
Both elections took place against a backdrop of the unrest that had rocked the country in 2006 following the government's dismissal of 600 soldiers from the army. The ensuing rioting had left 37 people dead and had led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. He was succeeded by Mr. Ramos-Horta.
A total of 14 parties contested the parliamentary elections. The principal actors were the FRETILIN and the National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) which was founded in March 2007 by the then President Gusmão. The FRETILIN pledged to provide better infrastructure and to deal with youth unemployment. Meanwhile the CNRT criticized FRETILIN's incompetence and corruption. It claimed that it wanted to liberate the people following the liberation of the country.
Other major parties contesting the elections included the Democratic Party led by Mr. Fernando Lasama de Araújo who had come in third in the first round of the 2007 presidential elections and the Coalition of the Timorese Social-Democratic Association of Timor - Social Democratic Party (ASDT-PSD). Most parties said that they would not join a FRETILIN-led coalition though the newly-elected President Ramos-Horta said all parties should join the new government to ensure its sustainability.
A total of 80.54 per cent of the 0.5 million registered voters turned out at the polls. Approximately 500 international observers monitored the polls alongside 2 250 national observers. The European Union observer mission praised the election as being generally free and fair.
FRETILIN won the most seats in parliament, but no single party won a majority and the various parties did not agree to form a national unity government. The newly elected National Parliament held its first session on 30 July and elected Mr. Fernando Lasama de Araújo of the Democratic Party as its new Speaker.
Following a political stalemate to form a new government President Ramos-Horta invoked his constitutional right and appointed Mr. Gusmão as Prime Minister. On August 6, 2007, President Ramos-Horta asked Xanana Gusmao, the leader of a coalition with a majority of the seats in the parliament (the Alliance with a Parliamentary Majority or AMP), to form a government. He was officially sworn in on 8 August. His new government comprises the CNRT the ASDT-PSD and the Democratic Party (11 and eight seats respectively) controlling a total of 37 seats in the 65-member National Parliament. FRETILIN won the most seats in elections, but Gusmão had formed a majority coalition, called the Alliance of the Parliamentary Majority. Gusmao was sworn in as Prime Minister along with most of the other ministers in the new government on August 8, 2007.
The move sparked violent protests led by supporters of FRETILIN, the former governing party. Although the June elections proceeded in a largely peaceful atmosphere, violent disturbances broke out in several areas of Dili and the eastern districts of Baucau and Viqueque when the president announced the formation of a new government as FRETILIN partisans took to the streets to protest that they had not been given an opportunity to form a government. The unrest subsided within days, but the affected areas remained tense for several weeks thereafter and FRETILIN continued to assert that the AMP government was unconstitutional although it participates actively in the work of the national parliament.
Upon taking office, the AMP government put the problems of the internally displaced persons, the petitioners, and other issues flowing from the 2006 crisis at the top of its policy agenda. The Ministry of Social Solidarity launched an IDP reintegration program, including resettlement assistance and financial support, that allowed for the gradual closing of the camps. All but a few of the nearly 150,000 IDPs had returned home or been resettled by July 2010. The government also addressed the grievances of the military petitioners. Accepting monetary compensation, they closed their encampment in Dili and returned to their homes.
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