Context of 'August 1999: East Timorese Vote for Independence'

East Timorese head for the polls and vote overwhelmingly (78.5 percent) for independence. Turnout is estimated at 99 percent, despite there having been intense intimidation from Indonesian troops to discourage voting. Angered by the vote, the Indonesian military-backed, anti-independence militias launch a terror campaign across East Timor, creating approximately 200,000 to 300,000 refugees. The UN evacuates, leaving the East Timorese at the mercy of the Indonesian forces. [John Pilger, 1994; BBC, 9/4/1999; BBC, 11/5/1999; BBC, 11/26/2005]

The Indonesian legislature ratifies the East Timorese referendum vote (see August 1999), allowing East Timor to officially become an independent nation. [John Pilger, 1994; BBC, 10/20/1999]

Jean-Bertrand Aristide runs unopposed in Haiti’s presidential elections and wins with 91.5 percent of the vote. The opposition Democratic Convergence party does not participate in the elections in protest of the May 21, 2000 congressional and municipal elections (see May 21, 2000) which its members claim were rigged. The election turnout is disputed. Though some news agencies report a low turnout of between 5 percent and 10 percent, Aristide’s party, as well as five US-based NGOs—Global Exchange, the Quixote Center, Witness for Peace, and Pax Christi—estimate the figure at 61 percent, or 3 million of Haiti’s voters. [BBC, 7/7/2000; CBS News, 11/29/2000; Associated Press, 12/7/2000; Global Exchange, 2001; Dollars and Sense, 9/7/2003; Turck, 2/24/2004; CounterPunch, 3/1/2004; Z Magazine, 5/5/2004] These figures are also supported by USAID-commissioned Gallup polls taken both before and after the elections, but which are suppressed by the US. [Z Magazine, 5/5/2004]