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| E Timor holds presidential polls | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Polls have opened in East Timor for the country's first presidential election since independence in 2002. | Polls have opened in East Timor for the country's first presidential election since independence in 2002. |
| Eight candidates are contesting the election, including front-runner Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta. Incumbent Xanana Gusmao is stepping down. | |
| Tension has been high in East Timor since clashes last summer between rival military factions triggered street violence that left some 30 people dead. | |
| On Sunday, Mr Gusmao used a radio address to appeal for a peaceful vote. | On Sunday, Mr Gusmao used a radio address to appeal for a peaceful vote. |
| "Don't use intimidation, don't use violence to force people to vote for your candidate or other candidates," he said. | |
| "I ask all the candidates in the name of society to accept the result of the election." | |
| Campaigning has been for the most part calm, although in recent days clashes between supporters of rival candidates left around 30 people injured. | Campaigning has been for the most part calm, although in recent days clashes between supporters of rival candidates left around 30 people injured. |
| Three-way race | |
| People started arriving at polling stations while it was still dark, the BBC's Jonathon Head reports from the capital, Dili. | |
| Many East Timorese are disappointed with the leadership of their country in its first five years as an independent nation but that does not appear to have diminished their desire to vote, he says. | |
| Mr Ramos-Horta faces tough competition for the presidency | |
| Mr Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, had been seen as the leading contender to succeed the popular outgoing president. | |
| But he faces challenges from the powerful Fretilin Party chairman Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres and Fernando "Lasama" De Araujo, the chairman of the opposition Democrat Party. | |
| Mr Ramos-Horta cast his vote at a primary school in Dili. When asked about his chances of winning, he said: "The people will win. Whatever the result is, I believe democracy wins if everybody respects the results." | |
| Some 3,000 international police and troops are on the streets to provide security for the polls. | |
| These troops - mainly Australian - have been in East Timor since June last year to help stabilise the country after the clashes, which caused thousands to flee their homes. | |
| Preliminary results are expected on Wednesday. | Preliminary results are expected on Wednesday. |
| But however smoothly this election goes, our correspondent says, restoring effective government will be a long-term task. | |
| Last year's crisis opened deep splits in East Timorese society, many dating back to the long war against Indonesia's rule. | |
| There are fears over how well losing candidates will accept the result of this poll and the parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year. |