Karen Michelmore, Dili – The distinctive buzz of motorcycles can be heard in the distance, growing increasingly louder.
Within seconds more than 30 motorbikes, engines revving and adorned with party flags and posters, spill into the dilapidated compound, the headquarters of East Timor's major political party, Fretilin, in the capital Dili.
Several large dump trucks crammed full of shirtless youths chanting "Fretilin, Fretilin", many of them drunk, soon follow in the convoy, as rallying music from the nation's former decades-long guerilla campaign for independence blares at full volume.
Scores quickly clamber down and begin to jump and dance in the dirt beside the trucks, as one supporter wrapped in Fretilin's distinctive red flag shouts: "We are independent because of Fretilin, fight for independence".
It is the end of another successful day on the campaign trail ahead of Monday's historic presidential elections – the first since East Timor gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, and also the first national poll to be run by local authorities.
Despite its profound poverty and social problems, East Timor has embraced its chance at democracy with vigour, with tens of thousands turning out at political rallies across the nation over the past two weeks.
Truckloads of mainly young people waving flags and screaming in support for one of eight candidates have circled towns across the country, and there has been strong voter registration, with 522,933 set to cast their ballot at one of 705 polling stations on Monday.
While the campaign has been marred by isolated incidents of violence and intimidation – dozens were injured in attacks on rival supporters in the districts, and on the final big day of campaigning in Dili yesterday – many feared it could have been much worse.
Gang violence continues to haunt Dili, and thousands of people remain in refugee camps across the capital, still too afraid to return home after last year's wave of violence in which 37 people were killed an 150,000 displaced after 600 army members were sacked by the government.
The ruling party Fretilin's candidate Fransciso Guterres "Lu Olo" is considered a favourite among the eight candidates vying to replace independence fighter Xanana Gusmao as president of the tiny nation.
The 52-year-old President of East Timor's National Parliament describes himself as "the son of a poor family, of humble people", a devout Catholic and former guerilla fighter who has vowed to be a president for everybody, regardless of their affiliations.
The party itself exudes confidence, saying that if the election was judged on its turnout at rallies across the tiny nation it would win in a landslide.
"Things have been going well in all districts for the Fretilin candidate – the lowest turnout was four to five thousand and the biggest at Suai was 17,000," campaign manager, and East Timor's Minister for Labor and Solidarity Arsenio Bano said.
"We have already won from the number who have turned out everywhere we go. If we compare it with the other candidates, the highest number they can get is 1500. From that comparison we can already say we will win the election."
But many, including some of the party's own members, disagree and believe there is a mood for change in the electorate. Fretilin, they say, is increasingly being perceived as arrogant, and many Timorese have felt little improvement in their daily lives after five years of Fretilin rule.
Independent candidate Jose Ramos Horta, who replaced Fretilin's Mari Alkatiri as East Timor's prime minister after last year's crisis of violence, is another frontrunner for the presidency.
The well-educated Nobel Peace Prize laureate has delivered a slick message of unity, along with a swag of promises, vowing to funnel at least $US10 million ($A12.2 million) per year to the church to help the impoverished nation "heal our wounds".
Like other candidates he has promised to set up a welfare system in the tiny nation, offering $US40 ($A50) a month to the 100,000 poorest citizens, along with the elderly, disabled and veterans of East Timor's fight for independence.
And there are also plans to review and, if necessary, simplify the Constitution, install a new tax system and scrap tax for those earning less than $US1,000 ($A1,220) per month; and create a network of "zones of peace" across the island in a bid to curb violence.
Disillusioned by the recent crisis that has engulfed the nation, a breakaway faction of Fretilin is backing Ramos Horta for the presidency over the party's own candidate Lu Olo.
"We are supporting Ramos Horta – he has all the diplomatic skills and is well known in the national and international community, and was a founding member of Fretilin," East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Luis Gutteres said.
"This country is in a bad state, its a divided country... facing so many problems. We need someone with the right skills to find a way out of this crisis. I believe Lu Olo and (former Fretilin prime minister) Mari Alkatiri, they are responsible for the crisis (last year). People want change in this country."
Ramos Horta says he is relaxed about Monday's vote, and rates his chances as "reasonable".
"I'm not worried about whether I win or I lose, because for me, whatever the outcome I am a winner," he said. "If I win, I win the election, and if I lose I will win my freedom. I will take the message from the people that they want me to retire and that I deserve a proper early retirement. I would not hesitate to follow that advice and retire for good."
Another major challenge to Fretilin could come from the Democratic Party's leader Fernando "La Sama" de Araujo, who enjoys wide support among the nation's youth. La Sama has campaigned on a platform of "stability, justice and governance", with a vision to unite the nation in "love and peace".
However, in order to win, either candidate would need to overcome the powerful symbolism of the Fretilin logo on the ballot paper, which many in the largely illiterate nation identify with the nation's long struggle for independence.
Ramos Horta is one of four candidates who have chosen to put the symbol of Timor's national flag beside his name on the ballot, while La Sama has opted for no symbol.
The outcome of the poll is expected to be announced next Wednesday. If there is no clear winner, the top two candidates will face off in a second poll early next month.
There are fears that further violence could erupt amongst those on the losing side when the results are published. The head of the United Nations in East Timor, Atul Khare, hopes the elections will have a unifying impact on the fragile state.
"(An) election, in my view, is not the last step in the democratic process, it is the beginning of the democratic process," said the Special Representative to the UN Secretary General.
"The day after the election, both the victors and the losers have to get together with mutual respect and have to decide to work together for the betterment of the people of Timor Leste.
"Democracy is not something which begins with the casting of the vote and then for five years you forget about it until you have another casting of the vote. It is the day after the election that I believe is far more important than the day on which the votes are cast."