Mark Dodd, Dili – What's in a word? Quite a bit if you are considering running for president of East Timor.

Ambiguous comments from Mr Mari Alkatiri, secretary-general of the election-winning Fretilin party, have cast doubt on the independence leader Mr Xanana Gusmao's offer to stand.

Mr Gusmao, the man many consider the most likely choice for the job, stated many times that he had no interest in presidential politics, before last month confirming he was prepared to be a candidate.

At a news conference in Dili on Thursday to announce the results of the Constituent Assembly elections, he reiterated that if Fretilin asked him to stand as president he would accept. On Thursday it seemed he was sticking to his promise. "It now rests with Fretilin. For me, I have always said, I will not candidate myself. That is, it is a question for one political party [Fretilin]," he told reporters.

But, what if Fretilin decides not to ask him? Mr Alkatiri said, "We'll talk", when asked on Thursday about Mr Gusmao's offer to stand as president. It was hardly an open invitation. Mr Gusmao may well return to his preferred retirement plan that he has outlined before – growing prize pumpkins for a living.

Another potential candidate for president is Mr Francisco Xavier do Amaral, leader of the Timorese Social Democrats (ASDT), after his party's better-than-expected showing in last weekend's poll.

The election results give Fretilin 55 seats in the 88-seat Constituent Assembly, not enough for Fretilin to take executive power. For that they would need 60 seats, or more than a two-thirds majority.

To ensure ease of passage for its legislation, Fretilin needs to have a partner. The most likely choice is the ASDT. East Timorese political sources said that after results were announced on Thursday morning, Fretilin's president, Mr LuOlo, held power-sharing talks with Mr do Amaral. It turns out that Mr do Amaral, 65, has also flagged his interest in standing for president.

Buoyed by his party's showing in the election, he said if he was asked by Fretilin, then ASDT could offer its support. "If Fretilin needs any help in the Constituent Assembly, we'll give it to them," he said.

Many East Timorese are wondering what Mr do Amaral might seek in return. A Fretilin founder and, like Mr Gusmao, a former guerrilla leader, Mr do Amaral was president of a short-lived Democratic Republic of East Timor. It survived for just 10 days before Indonesian troops launched their invasion of the former Portuguese colony on December 7, 1975.

Mr do Amaral was expelled from Fretilin's Central Committee in 1977 over his opposition to waging a protracted insurgency against Indonesia. Jailed and tortured by his former comrades, he was captured by the Indonesians and later fled to Portugal.