More Timorese turned up to cast their vote in the 22 July parliamentary election than five years ago, with many lining up across the country before polling stations opened.

Of total voters, around 20 per cent did so the first time, according the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration  (STAE).

Youth made up the bulk of this new voter demographic, with final statistics from the STAE revealing a three per cent uptick in total voter turnout from 75 per cent in 2012 to 77 per cent. This is down from 80 per cent in the 2007 parliamentary election.

But it's not all good news for those who want to see Timorese people having greater involvement in politics. Despite new polling stations opened for the first time abroad, little more than 2000 Timorese citizens living overseas voted across Australia, Portugal, England and South Korea.

A statement released by the European Union Election Observation mission on Wednesday surmised the parliamentary campaign as “peaceful,” saying“basic freedoms of expression, association and assembly were respected.”

However the EU election observer said misuse of the advantage of incumbency, noted during previous electoral processes, “continues to be a problem.”

It also warned against the “continued involvement”of civil servants in campaigning.

“Some cases of voter intimidation during the campaign period were reported to EU observers.”

With all votes counted on Monday, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction party of independence hero XananaGusmao, or CNRT, had won 29.5 percent, down from 36.7 percent in 2012, when it was the largest -polling party.

Fretilin, or Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste, picked up 29.7 percent of the vote.
Fretilin declared itself the victor on Sunday and to loud applause and cheers of "Viva Fretilin'' its secretary-general Mari Alkatiri said it was open to forming a coalition with CNRT continuing its shared government of the past five years.