East Timor prime minister’s party wins plurality in parliament; will need coalition to govern

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DILI, East Timor — East Timor’s election commission says Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao’s party has won Saturday’s parliamentary elections, claiming 30 of the chamber’s 65 seats.

Gusmao’s National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor will need to form a coalition to gain the majority needed to govern.

The national election commission announced Tuesday that the party won 172,831 votes or nearly 37 per cent. The Fretilin party won 140,786 votes to gain 25 seats. The Democratic Party claimed eight seats and Frenti-Mudanca took two.

East Timor broke from 24 years of Indonesian occupation in 1999 and declared independence after three years of U.N. governance. Gusmao was an independence leader who took office in 2007.

The official results will be announced by the Supreme Court of Appeal and are expected later Tuesday or Wednesday morning.

02:18ET 10-07-12