East Timorese presidential election, 2012
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A presidential election was held in Timor-Leste on 17 March and 16 April 2012 to choose a president for a five-year term. Incumbent president Jose Ramos-Horta, who was eligible for a second and final term as president, announced that he would seek nomination to be a candidate in the election. The election was seen as a test for the "young democracy" in seeking to take control of its own security. Former military commander Taur Matan Ruak provisionally beat Francisco Guterres in a second round runoff.
The presidency is seen as a unifying post for the country after the 1999 East Timorese crisis. This election is also seen as a test FRETILIN's ability to take back control in the parliamentary election later in the year.
Incumbent president Jose Ramos-Horta had initially been reluctant to run for re-election, but a draft movement collected over 120,000 signatures in favour of his candidacy, prompting him to run.
There were finally twelve candidates running for president; two others eventually were excluded, one failing to meet the nomination requirements and another dying at the start of the election.
The candidacy of Angela Freitas, was rejected by the CNE due to the ineligibility of some of the signatures required. She then offered her support to FRETILIN's Francisco Guterres. One candidate Francisco Xavier do Amaral, a member of the National Parliament of East Timor and a leader of Timorese Social Democratic Association, died during the campaign, on 5 March 2012. A special plenary session of parliament amended the electoral so as not to restart the electoral process as mandated by the older law. The controversial move elicited protests.
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