Joanna Jolly, Dili – Independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, a potent symbol of East Timor's resistance during decades of Indonesian rule, on Saturday officially declared himself a candidate in the new nation's first presidential election.

The long-expected announcement came just hours before the deadline for entering the presidential race. Gusmao had previously indicated his intention to run for president. "I continue to believe that I am not the ideal person for this job, but I will do the best job that I can," Gusmao said at news conference in the capital, Dili.

Gusmao's only opponent will be Fransisco Xavier do Amaral, who was appointed East Timor's first president in 1975, after the pullout of the Portuguese colonial government. He served for only nine days before Indonesian forces invaded on December 7, 1975.

The charismatic Gusmao enjoys broad popular support and is expected to win the election. Although Gusmao said he would stand as an independent candidate, 10 small opposition parties have already declared their support for him. "We need to construct a democratic East Timor and to serve the people," he told reporters.

East Timor, which has been under UN administration since 1999 when its voters opted for independence from Indonesia, is due to hold the elections on April 14. The new head of state will be formally installed on May 20, when the world body is scheduled to end its interim rule, making East Timor the world's newest nation.

Xanana, a former soccer player and journalist, joined the armed resistance against Indonesian rule and quickly rose to command the guerrilla forces in the 1980s. He was captured by Indonesian troops in 1992 and remained a political prisoner in Jakarta for seven years.

Gusmao has recently distanced himself from East Timor's largest political party, Fretilin, which led the independence movement. The party won two-thirds of the votes in parliamentary elections last August but Gusmao declined to stand as their presidential candidate.

Earlier this month, the 88-member assembly approved the draft of the new constitution, which envisions a parliamentary system with a strong executive led by a prime minister. The current prime minister is Fretilin leader Mari Alkatiri. The national charter defines the president's role as a largely symbolic one.