Xanana Gusmao,Told voters not to fear repeat of violence
East Timor is said to be relatively calm on the eve of its inaugural government elections. The elections mark a huge turning point for the half-island territory, which is emerging from 24 years of Indonesian occupation.
Tomorrow's ballot will take place two years after almost 80% of the nation's voters chose independence. Then, the East Timorese capital, Dili, was a scene of chaos and fear. The vote prompted pro-Jakarta militias to launch a campaign of violence and destruction, killing at least 600 people.
The scene in Dili has resembled a traditional campaign in recent days, as the parties attempt to garner the votes of 425,000 registered voters. Followers of the 16 parties contesting the poll paraded in hooting convoys and filling the capital's stadium for rallies.
The rallies and campaigning have subsided, however, as a UN ban on political activity comes into effect. The elections mark the end of the UN's two-year governing presence in East Timor.
The run-up to the ballot has not been exciting for all concerned. Villagers in remote areas have expressed fears of a repeat of the violence that followed the independence vote.
However, Xanana Gusmao, the favourite to become East Timor's first President, told nervous voters living near the Indonesian border not to fear a repeat of the deadly violence. Mr Gusmao said that the 8,000-strong peacekeeping force and 1,500 UN police stationed in East Timor had "told me you should not be afraid because there are no more militias".
UN officials are expecting almost all of the 425,000 registered voters to turn out for the ballot for a constituent assembly. "I'd be surprised to see voter turnout less than 90% and I would not be surprised to see 95/96%," the head of the United Nations Development Programme in East Timor, Finn Reske-Nielsen, said today.
