While praising May 21 voting as largely fair and peaceful, the local security watchdog said however it noted “several violations of campaign rules”, including involvement of children in campaigns and police failing to stop this.

“Despite fears that tensions between militants of different political parties or martial arts groups could erupt into violence, FM can report that only a few minor incidents occurred during the election campaign and on voting day,” Fundasaun Mahein said in statement released Friday.

Fundasaun Mahein said their observers had witnessed police “unwilling -or unable to implement” some campaign rules in Dili and elsewhere.

FM cited police failing to “stop” political parties and supporters bringing “supporters from one municipality to another; continue to make noise in the streets after the end of the campaign; transport people in the back of trucks or on top of vehicles.”

FM also questioned why Timor-Leste’s Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) did not provide parallel voting centres to lessen burden of people travelling to vote  - as it had in the presidential election last year.

It cited that the STAE “only” provided real time election results directly to RTTL and “not independent media outlets.”

“Although it is doubtful that STAE deliberately attempted to manipulate the voting process, many members of the public have raised concerned about the potential politicisation of STAE,” Fundasaun Mahein said.

President Jose Ramos-Horta has called for an investigation of STAE while similarly questioning its impartiality.

Fundasaun Mahein staff observed voting directly in Dili, Baucau, Manufahi and Viqueque municipalities, and monitored campaigns directly and through media reports and social media.