THE Timorese-born Australian woman acquitted last year of conspiring to murder East Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, plans to stand for his job next year.
Today Angelita Pires will announce the formation of a new political party, and her candidacy for the presidency, in the Timorese capital, Dili.
After Dr Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded in Dili in 2008 he accused Ms Pires of being implicated in attacks on himself and the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao.
Advertisement: Story continues below At the time she was the lover of the rebel leader Alfredo Reinado, who was shot dead at Dr Ramos-Horta's presidential compound on the outskirts of Dili.
Ms Pires strenuously denied any involvement in the attacks and was acquitted of charges in the Dili District Court.
The presidential election is likely to be fiercely contested and will happen at a critical time for East Timor, before the scheduled withdrawal of United Nations personnel. Dr Ramos-Horta will be the frontrunner if he decides to stand again.
Other possible candidates include Mari Alkatiri, the leader of Fretilin, the country's largest political party, and Taur Matan Ruak, the chief of the defence forces.
Ms Pires is likely to have strong support in East Timor's western mountains, where Reinado was a heroic figure among many young people.
Trained as a lawyer, she has been living in Darwin, where she grew up, for the past 12 months.
She is married to the Darwin barrister Jon Tippett.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-acquitted-of-plot-to-kill-wants-timors-top-job-20110609-1fv13.html#ixzz1UogfZxs6
Are you joking? This woman has no chance in even been a member of any political party let alone form one and run for presidency. She can be found in the bar or hotel Timor with her sometimes lawyer sometime lover/husbund both drunk and loud....
ReplyDelete