Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Dili – Two radically different candidates are set to contest Wednesday's East Timor presidential election, with a globe-trotting polyglot pitted against a shy, former guerrilla for the post.

Jose Ramos-Horta, the current prime minister, and rival, former freedom fighter Francisco Guterres, will contest a runoff after they emerged with the bulk of the vote in last month's election, but without a clear majority.

A former journalist and fluent in five languages, Ramos-Horta, 57, is comfortable not only with the world press but diplomats and national leaders. "Bom dia, selamat siang, good morning, bonjour," he often says to mark the start of one of his press conferences.

Regularly seen wearing bow ties, Ramos-Horta spent 24 years in exile after Indonesia invaded in 1975, and developed an international reputation as spokesman for East Timor's resistance struggle.

His efforts in pressing the troubled nation's case for independence on the world stage earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, which he shared with East Timorese Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo.

In contrast, Guterres, popularly known as Lu-Olo, prefers to send one of his aides to speak with the press rather than front himself.

The softly-spoken Guterres, 54, spent almost half his life fighting with East Timor's resistance movement against Indonesian forces, and hiding in jungle-covered mountains to evade capture.

"He is very shy," his political adviser Harold Moucho told AFP. "He spent 24 years in the mountains. He climbed from the bottom to the top (of the resistance movement)," he added.

Both men, in different ways, have been devoted to East Timor's campaign for independence, efforts that supporters say qualify them for the largely ceremonial role of president.

"No matter the stark differences between them, they are both proven nationalists and the people know that," said Maria Olandina Caeiro, a former legislator who headed a taskforce to rebuild the nation's public service.

Both also have a long history with Fretilin, the resistance movement and political party, although Ramos-Horta resigned his membership in 1998 and is running on Wednesday as an independent.

He was a founding member of Fretilin, and is close to former guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao who is not seeking reelection to the presidency. One of 12 children, Ramos-Horta fled the capital Dili into exile at the age of 25, three days before Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony.

During his exile, he gained a masters degree in peace studies, discovered a passion for cinema and traditional jazz but also became familiar with the workings of the United Nations.

After independence in 2002, he served as East Timor's foreign minister before his appointment last year as prime minister and defence minister.

Guterres, an ex-school teacher from the central western Viqueque district, retreated to the mountains after Indonesia invaded and joined a rebel platoon, according to Fretilin statements.

He climbed steadily through the ranks of the movement, holding various positions, and by the time Indonesian troops withdrew in 1999, had become the most senior Fretilin leader inside the country. "He is a very simple person, family orientated, with high regard in the moral sense," said Moucho.

Elected party president in 2001 and again in 2006, Guterres has also been speaker of the parliament, which Fretilin dominates, since independence, despite his reluctance for public speaking. A devout Catholic, he is running Wednesday as the Fretilin candidate.

Although Fretilin has been criticised for a lack of openness and intimidation, it retains a strong support base in this impoverished nation of one million people.

Ramos-Horta, campaigning with a slick message of unity after bloody unrest last year, has secured support from most of the failed first round candidates.

"Horta is equipped with a good reputation at both local and international levels. He has the qualifications to build East Timor a better future," said Armado Da Silva from the small Liberal Party.