The first-ever democratic elections in East Timor have taken place without incident, according to the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign.
The election follows a referendum two years ago in which most East Timorese voted to break away from Indonesia. The vote led to widespread violence by Indonesian troops and militias, in which up to 1,000 people were killed.
Mr Tom Hyland of the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign told ireland.compolling had finished at 8 a.m. Irish time and that there have been no reports of any violence at any of the polling stations.
Mr Hyland has also called on the Government to upgrade East Timor’s aid status in Ireland to full "priority status" and to extend aid to the country for another five years once the present aid programme ends in 2002.
The Ireland Solidarity Campaign is drawing up a policy document it will present to the Minister of Foreign Affairs next week that will argue for increased Irish aid into the region, he said.
Mr Hyland said: "The problem for East Timor now is that the UN administration is starting to pull out and much of the infrastructure that it created will go with it.
"There is desperate need for this vacuum to be filled and Ireland, which already has a considerable presence out there, is in a perfect position to do this".
Mr Hyland is also calling for increased Irish aid in the areas of education and information technology, which, he says, are essential if East Timor is to become properly independent over the next few years.
The election is for an 88-member assembly that will draw up a constitution within 90 days, paving the way for choosing a president, most likely in another election by April.
Informal results are expected by as early as tomorrow, and the official tally is expected on September 10th, said Mr Hyland.