East Timor to Elect President on April 14

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 18, 2002

East Timor to Elect President on April 14

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East Timor will hold its first presidential elections on April 14, Chief of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) Sergio Vieira de Mello told reporters in Dili, capital of East Timor, on Thursday.

Speaking a day after he signed a new electoral law, de Mello said results of the presidential ballot will be announced on April 17.

De Mello was quoted by the Jakarta Post Friday as saying that there will be only one round of voting in the presidential election.

He said all existing 16 political parties are expected to field candidates. New parties will be allowed to register and nominate candidates.

Independent candidates will be allowed to stand if they manage to collect 5,000 signatures endorsing their candidacy.

Independence leader Jose "Xanana" Gusmao is widely expected to win and become East Timor's first head of state when it gains full independence on May 20.

East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence in a U.N.- backed plebiscite in 1999. The U.N., which has been administering East Timor since late 1999, will hand over full independence on May 20.

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