Two of East Timor's political parties have pledged support for the Fretilin candidate in the upcoming run-off round of the historic presidential poll - the first since the international recognition of the tiny half-island state's independence in 2002.
The two small parties are the People's Party of Timor (PPT) and the Association of Timorese Heroes (KOTA), which is also known as the Sons of the Mountain Warriors. PPT and KOTA each polled 2% in the 2001 Constituency Assembly election and both hold 2 seats in the National Parliament.
The leader of KOTA, Mr. Manuel Tilman, was a candidate in the first round of the presidential election on 9 April and garnered 4.09%
of the total vote.
In a press release yesterday, the Fretilin candidate for the presidency, Francisco Lu'Olo Guterres, thanked the leaders of PPT and KOTA who have called on their members to vote for him on 8 May and made a plea to the electorate to vote for independence and national unity in the upcoming final poll to decide the presidency.
The support of PPT and KOTA may be crucial for Mr Guterres who obtained only 28% of the first round of the election.
