Dili – The winners of last week's historic election in East Timor must listen to the people when drafting a constitution as a prelude to independence, two watchdog groups said Monday. "It is imperative that the constituent assembly provides further opportunity to connect people with the decision-making process rather than attempting to encompass the aspirations of their diverse electorate," said a report on the poll from the Yayasan HAK, a rights and democracy organisation.

Some 91 percent of voters took part Thursday in the territory's first free election, for an 88-member constituent assembly. It will draft a constitution and become the national parliament by early December in preparation for independence by mid-2002.

But Joaquim Fonseca, chairman of the Yayasan HAK, said constitutional issues were not raised during the election campaign. People must be educated further on the issues, he told a press conference.

The International Federation for East Timor (IFET), another rights and democracy group, agreed there was little information about the constitution during the campaign. "A great deal of care must be taken to make sure that the [drafting] process is democratic and transparent," said Charles Scheiner, the group's representative to the United Nations. "There needs to be ... more attention given to education and involvement of the East Timorese people in this process." IFET report's also said the 90 days given to the assembly to outline a constitution was too short. "The assembly should not be confined to a 90-day period timetable," it said.

The party at the core of the 24-year struggle against Indonesian rule, Fretilin, is expected to dominate the polls. Its leaders are predicting around 85 percent of the votes. Provisional results are expected on Wednesday or Thursday. One issue to be decided in the constitution is the division of powers between the president and parliament. Independence hero Xanana Gusmao is virtually certain of the presidency in elections early next year.

Sixteen parties and five independent candidates contested Thursday's poll, which brings the impoverished territory a crucial step closer to independence after more than four centuries of oppressive rule by foreign powers. Portugal's colonial rule wound down in 1974. In December 1975, nine days after East Timorese leaders declared independence, Indonesia invaded. An estimated 200,000 East Timorese died under Jakarta's 24-year rule, which came to a violent end two years ago after a UN-organised plebiscite.