“People have good memories of them,” Amaral said of the former Prime Ministers, adding that nostalgia and a yearning  for strong leadership will drive “many” to vote for the charismatic leaders at the polls.

It has yet to be confirmed who will stand in the May 2022 presidential election, but early indication suggest incumbent Francisco Guterres will likely contend against candidates such as former President and Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta. If Horta wins the vote Gusmao is tipped to become Prime Minister, Amaral said.

With the National Election Commission (CNE) reiterating this week there was no “official” candidates in the 2022 presidential race yet,  it is not clear who will contest it.

Supporters of Horta and Gusmao’s rivals accused the pair and their backers of misleading the public by promoting themselves on social media when they have not been announced as official candidates.

The President of CNE, Jose Agostino da Costa Belo, said “every citizen” had the right to self-promotion and to show the public they wanted to candidate themselves, calling it a democratic right.

Belo said the CNE will open registrations for the 2022 presidency in January 2022.