Timor parties' last push for support

East Timor is beginning to rise again from the ashes left by the 1999 violence

By CNN's Joe Havely

DILI, East Timor -- Campaigning for East Timor's first democratic elections has come to an end with the 16 competing parties holding their last rallies across the territory.

The largest party, Fretilin, was scheduled to hold a final rally at the municipal stadium in the territory's capital, Dili, Tuesday afternoon making a last push for support ahead of Thursday's poll.

Wednesday has been designated a cooling off day before polling stations open at 7.00 a.m. on Thursday.

U.N. officials monitoring the election say they expect Fretilin to win between 60-90% of the vote -- a prospect that has raised concerns in some quarters that East Timor's democratic transformation could begin with the country as a virtual one party state.

If the party wins more than 85% of the vote it will be able to write the constitution itself without the input of other parties.

Fretilin officials have however promised to deliver a government of national inclusion, saying cooperation and consultation between the different parties will be an important part of the nation-building process.

Results from the election are not expected until September 10.

Turnout

VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa reports on the upcoming East Timor vote (August 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

More than 900 observers have been posted across the territory to monitor the election with elaborate tallying methods put in place to ensure the ballot is secret, free and fair.

Some 425,000 East Timorese are eligible to vote in the poll although U.N. officials are unwilling to predict whether the turnout will match the massive 98.5% turnout for the 1999 referendum.

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Also unclear is the extent to which ordinary East Timorese understand what they are voting for -- especially in poor rural areas where the majority of the population are illiterate.

At least half the people CNN spoke to believe the election is for the new territory's leader.

However, the U.N. says its program of civic education has reached over 200,000 people -- more than a quarter of the population -- and they are confident a growing number of East Timorese know they are voting for a national assembly tasked with writing a constitution.

"I think this shows the level of enthusiasm of the East Timorese people for the political process that will bring them to independence," said Colin Stewart, the U.N. authority's Director of Civic Education in East Timor.

"The commitment to independence the world saw in 1999 is clearly matched by a determination to build a strong democracy."

Tolerance

The majority of East Timorese live in the countryside

His comments echoed those of the U.N.'s Chief Electoral Officer who praised what he called the "spirit of tolerance" that has characterized the campaign period.

Carlos Valenzuela, who is in charge of coordinating the poll, said it was essential this spirit continues after the elections, allowing individuals to express a diverse range of opinions, which he said was "an essential element of life in a democracy."

Despite the rising political tensions ahead of the poll there have been few reports of any violence in the final days of the campaign.

In Dili Monday there was a brief stone throwing exchange between supporters of rival parties, whilst in the town of Suai U.N. police say they have detained two people, reported to be Fretlin supporters, for alleged violence related to the election.

Suai was the scene of one of worst single acts of violence in the wake of the 1999 independence referendum when militiamen and Indonesian soldiers shot and slashed their way through thousands of people seeking refuge in the church compound there, killing more than a hundred.

Security in the town is expected to be particularly tight during the poll in a bid to head off any renewed violence.

Militia concerns

The Fretilin flag is on prominent display across East Timor

There is also likely to be a strong presence along the sensitive border region with Indonesian West Timor -- amid concerns pro-Indonesian militiamen may try to infiltrate and disrupt the election process.

Peacekeeping troops in the area have staged a series of rapid deployment exercises in a bid to convince voters that it is safe for them to go and exercise their democratic rights.

Still only beginning to recover from the violence that swept the territory in the wake of the independence referendum two years ago, East Timor has been under the temporary administration of a United Nations transitional authority since September 1999.

Thursday's vote will elect an 88-member assembly, which will then have 90 days to draft the emergent nation's constitution -- a key step on the road to self-rule.

The assembly will decide on how to govern the new nation and set the stage for the election of the country's first leader -- a post almost certain to be occupied by former guerilla and independence leader Xanana Gusmao.

Full independence is not expected to be achieved until mid 2002.