16 Apr 2012

Voting for president begins in East Timor

4:20 pm on 16 April 2012

Voting has begun in the run-off election for East Timor's next president, as the democracy prepares to celebrate its first decade of independence.

The current president Jose Ramos-Horta ran third in the first round of the presidential election last month.

Francisco Guterres Lu Olo is now pitted against Taur Matan Ruak.

Mr Ruak is a former leader of the armed resistance to the Indonesian occupation, and headed East Timor's military after independence.

Mr Lu Olo, the Fretilin party candidate, was also a resistance fighter and is a former president of East Timor's parliament.