'Only 5% of E. Timorese understand election'

'Only 5% of E. Timorese understand election'

DILI (AP): Only five percent of East Timorese understand what
they will be voting for in the territory's first elections in
August, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

"In my view, we don't have enough time to prepare for the
elections," said Jose Luis de Oliveira, coordinator of the
Working Group on Voter Education, a local organization that
assisted with the poll.

East Timor has been under UN administration since 1999, when
Indonesian troops ended a 24-year occupation. Elections for an
88-member constituent assembly, which will become the country's
first democratic parliament, are scheduled for Aug. 30.

The survey was funded by the U.S. Agency for International
Development and conducted by the Asia Foundation, a nongovernment
group which studies socio-economic issues in Asia, in conjunction
the Working Group on Voter Education.

The survey, conducted in March, was based on interviews with
1,558 East Timorese voters. The poll has a margin of error of
plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The report said that while 75 percent of the population knew
of the election, only 30 percent were aware it would be held in
August. Almost two-thirds believed they would be voting for a
president while only five percent knew they would be electing an
assembly to draw up a constitution.

Independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao is still
widely tipped to become the territory's first president, although
he has repeatedly denied that he wants the job.

"The survey gives a very clear indication that the work to be
done is enormous if we are to have an informed population to take
part in elections," said Tessa Piper, an analyst with the Asia
Foundation.

The UN Director of Civic Education, Colin Stewart, admitted
the ballot was confusing to East Timorese. But he said he
remained confident that it would be possible to inform the voters
well ahead of the poll.

Civic education programs had been initiated in the two months
since the survey was conducted, and thousands of East Timorese
would become involved in the process, he said.