Ruling Fretilin leads East Timor parliamentary poll

Ruling Fretilin leads East Timor parliamentary poll
DILI (AP): East Timor's ruling Fretilin party led the count Tuesday in parliamentary elections, but independence hero Xanana Gusmao's party was expected to narrow the difference as results trickled in from the capital.
Fourteen parties ran for the 65-seat legislature and the post of prime minister in Saturday's elections, which are seen as key to restoring stability in the newly independent country after a year of violence and political turmoil.
The main battle is between Gusmao's National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor, or CNRT, and Fretilin, the party of ousted Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.
No party is seen winning the simple majority needed to form a government, making coalition talks a necessity.
By Tuesday afternoon, preliminary figures showed Fretilin had a lead of nearly 22,000 votes over CNRT, with about 270,000 ballots, or 50 percent of registered voters, tallied.
Turnout figures were not available and the final result was not expected until later this week.
The preliminary count showed Gusmao ahead in the capital, Dili, with 46 percent, compared to Fretilin's 20 percent.
Dili has roughly 100,000 registered voters and could still turn the tables in Gusmao's favor. So far, the CNRT has polled 10,400 against Fretilin's 4,500 in the city. (**)