Dublin - East Timor's Nobel peace laureate, Mr Jose Ramos-Horta, is to take over the presidency of the transitional parliament, according to a United Nations announcement at the weekend, David Shanks writes.
Some interesting realignments are likely by August 30th, the date of the first free elections in the former Portuguese and former Indonesian vassal.
It follows the resignation last week of the former guerrilla leader and icon of independence, Mr Jose Xanana Gusmao. He quit because of disagreement in his own party within the embryonic parliament, the Timorese National Council, over how to draw up a constitution.
Impatience to be independent, to temper Australian neo-colonial entrepreneurship and to shed the United Nations transitional administration has motivated many hardliners in Fretilin, of which Mr Gusmao remains very much the head.