RAIROBO (TOP) – The National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction Party led by its President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Secretary General Francisco Kalbuady Lay succeeded in supporting 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winner José Manuel Ramos-Horta to the presidential palace, now targeting again to bring Xanana as prime minister if the CNRT party wins in the parliamentary elections next year.
Presidential elections were held in Timor-Leste on 19 March 2022. Incumbent Francisco Guterres Lú Olo sought election to a second term. As none of the presidential nominees received at least 50% of the cast votes, a runoff was held on 19 April 2022, between the top two candidates, José Manuel Ramos-Horta and Lú Olo. Ramos-Horta won the runoff with 62.1% of the total votes cast.
The election marked the first time that someone had been re-elected to the East Timorese presidency (albeit to a non-consecutive term), as well as the second time that an incumbent president had been defeated – after the 2012 election, when Ramos-Horta was eliminated in the first round. As a result of constitutional provisions which limit presidents to two five-year terms in a lifetime, Ramos-Horta will be ineligible to run in any future presidential election.
The President of Timor-Leste is elected using the two round system. With no single winner in the first round getting over 50% of the vote, a second round was held a month after the first with the top two candidates.
The political strength of the CNRT party can be seen from the results of the first round of presidential elections where Horta got the most votes 46.6% compared to the FRETILIN presidential candidate, Francisco Guterres Lú Olo who only got 22.1%.
Results from first round
José Ramos Horta got the most votes 303,477 (46.6%), followed by Francisco Guterres (Lú-Olo) with 144,282 (22.1%), and they will face each other in the second round on 19 April. No other candidate got more than 9% in the first round -- next were Armanda Berta dos Santos (8.7%), Lere Anan Timur (7.6%) and Mariano Assanami Sabino (7.3%). All others received 2% or less.
On 30 March, the Court announced that José Ramos-Horta listed first on the second-round ballot, followed by Francisco Guterres (Lú-Olo).
According to official results announced by National Commission for Election (CNE), José Manuel Ramos-Horta received 398,082 votes (62%) and Francisco Guterres (Lú-Olo) received 242,939 (38%).
With the results of the presidential election in the first and second rounds, the Secretary General of the CNRT Party, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay feels confident that his party will win again in the parliamentary elections in 2023, but the former Minister of Tourism and Culture (2012) still calls his party structure from the level from the bottom to the top to keep working hard in order to win with absolute certainty in the upcoming democratic party.
“As Secretary General I know CNRT will win in the parliamentary elections. I've been around 12 districts, only Vikeke to reach 13, I already know that we've won, but if after we win and don't have time to improve people's lives, we win for nothing,” Francisco Kalbuadi Lay stated at the thanksgiving ceremony and consolidation of the CNRT party in the Rairobo village, Atabae Post Administrative, Bobonaro municipality on Friday 19 August 2022.
"If we don't win, we will be even more damaged because the future of this nation will be in jeopardy," Kalbuady Lay emphasized to its structures to work even harder.
The CNRT party has launched a consolidation involving its party coordinators from 13 municipalities in the Dili cathedral building on Saturday 18 June 2022.
At the consolidation event, Kalbuadi Lay asked all CNRT sympathizers and militants not to be satisfied with the results of the presidential election that had passed but had to work hard again to be able to get an absolute victory in the parliamentary election and be able to bring the Commander-in-Chief of FALINTIL, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão to the government palace as prime minister in order to accelerate the national development process and also improve people's lives in the next five years.
After the opening of the national consolidation in Dili last June, from then until now the former President of the Football Federation of Timor-Leste has the full trust of the president of the CNRT party, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão to give thanks to all the voters who voted for José Manuel Ramos-Horta as president of the republic in all municipalities and also consolidating the party as preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The Oekusi Post (TOP) observe that, during thanksgiving events in all municipalities, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay always expressed his gratitude to all the people who had put their trust in José Manuel Ramos-Horta starting from the first and second round of presidential elections.
The thanksgiving event and the consolidation of the CNRT party are almost over, and this activity will end in Vikeke municipality this week.
