Dili – Francisco Xavier do Amaral, a Deputy Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, received a second nomination today for president. The former FRETILIN leader is the only candidate for the 14 April election with just four days remaining in the registration period.

Xavier do Amaral was nominated today by the party he leads, ASDT (Timorese Social Democratic Association/Associagco Social-Democrata Timorense). On 4 February, he was also nominated by PARENTIL (Partai Republik Nacional Timor Leste).

Candidates must be nominated and registered at UNTAET's Independent Electoral Commission by 12noon Saturday, 23 February.

A candidate can be nominated by one or more political parties or collect 5,000 signatures and run as an independent. New political parties can also register and submit presidential nominations during this phase. The 16 parties that contested the 30 August 2001 elections for the Constituent Assembly are already considered registered.

The presidential election will be the third UN-administered ballot in East Timor. Unlike the previous two polls, East Timorese hold a majority of seats on the IEC's Board of Commissioners, control all 13 district electoral offices and participate in the counting of the ballots.