The Day of Liquidation of Foreign Occupation Is Coming after 477 Years.

On the 30th, people of East Timor voted to elect members of assembly to draw up a new nation after 447 years of foreign occupation.

In 248 polling stations, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., voters took a ballot, and more than 90 percent of eligible voters above 17 would participate in the election, according to the tentative statistics. The official counting of votes will start from the 31st 9 a.m. and the tentative results and official results will be announced on 9.3 and 9.10.

Professionals have predicted that the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor, known as Fretelin would win major percent of the votes.

1500 of International civil police officers and 800 of Timor police officer have been stationed in order to prevent a same disaster that killed 1000 people 2 years ago when the votes for independence was taken.

International election administration led by Soon Bong-Sook, member of Korean central election administration, and 1600 of international witness from 40 countries have gathered together to supervise the votes.

For the country’s first free elections, long lines formed in front of polling stations more than an hour before they opened at 7 a.m. Foreign News reported that East Timor was full of energy to form a new country. The votes attracted international interest, and hotels in the capital city of Dili were booked in advance from the beginning of August.

990 people including independence hero Sanana Gusma, who is expected to be the first president, are running for this election.

Mari Alkartiri, who is the leader of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor, predicted that his party that has a history would win more than 85 percent of the votes. Either People’s Social Democrats or United Democrat of Timor would be the second party, professionals predicted. These two parties have many things in common in that two parties are all pro-Indonesia and pro-high class, formed after Indonesian occupation in 1975. The constitutional assembly will have 88 members; 13 from regional constituency and 75 from the national constituency. Assembly will be summoned on September 15th and will constitute laws within 90 days. The government seems to be a mixture of the parliamentary government and presidential system.

Meanwhile, United Nations Administrations, which was in charge of East Timor administration since 1999, would turn their post over to East Timor people on 9.15.

Most of European countries plan to withdraw their UN peace troops from East Timor after the elections, and the preservation of public peace would be an important task for them.

Kwon Ki-Tae kkt@donga.com