Ramos-Horta, Guterres early frontrunners in East Timor election

East Timor president candidate Jose Ramos Horta shows his inked finger after casting his vote during the East Timorese presidential election at Dili, East Timor, March 19, 2022. REUTERS/Lirio da Fonseca

DILI (Reuters) - Independence leader and Nobel laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, and incumbent leader Francisco Guterres have emerged as the early frontrunners in East Timor's presidential election, official data showed.

With more than 33% of the vote counted on Sunday afternoon, a day after the nation went to the polls, data from East Timor's Technical Secretariat for Election Administration showed Ramos-Horta in the lead with 44.5%.