Mar 17 - Voters head to the polls in East Timor's presidential election. Paul Chapman reports.
Twelve candidates are standing in East Timor's presidential election. Voters are hoping they'll get someone who will lead one of the world's youngest and poorest nations to a brighter future. SOUNDBITE: JOAO DA COSTA, RESIDENT, SAYING (English): "We are glad to vote for a president who will lead this country and the nation and also the people of East Timor. The situation here is conducive and peaceful for us to exercise our right to vote for a leader." East Timor was a long-neglected Portuguese colony annexed by Indonesia in 1975. The president is regarded as an important unifying figure in a country still scarred by its bloody struggle for independence in 2002, and violence during elections in 2007. The contenders include former military commander, Taur Matan Ruak, and incumbent President Jose Ramos Horta. This election is seen as a crucial test of East Timor's stability. Paul Chapman, Reuters