The provisional result of the presidential poll count in Timor Leste showed that Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos Horta took a slight lead, the spokesman of the country's electoral commission Martinho Gusmao said Wednesday.

Horta obtained 21.75 percent of the total votes, followed by Franciscus de Araujo Lasama from Democratic Party with 21.73 percent of votes and former guerrilla fighter from the biggest political party of Fretelin Francisco Guteres Lu-Olo with 21.39 percent of votes, said Gusmao.

The other five candidates only obtained below 15 percents of the votes, he said.

The total votes of the 511,336 voters on Monday's election already counted until Wednesday was 71 percent, said Gusmao. "The top three is Horta, followed by Lasama and Lu-Olo," he told a press conference.

The spokesman ensures a runoff must be held, as the gap of the three was too small. "I expect Horta and Lasama would move to the second round, but a surprise could happen in the last minutes," he said.

The spokesman said that the officials were still waiting the arrival of votes from other two districts.

He said that the final result of the first general election since the tiny nation was heralded as a success in nation-building in 2002, could be announced next week.

On Tuesday Fretelin announced that Lu-Olo temporarily obtain 40 percent of the total votes in entire of the nation.

Eight presidential candidates are running for the presidency in the mainly Roman Catholic nation to replace the position of the incumbent President Xanana Gusmao.

The incumbent Prime Minister Horta who spearheaded an overseas campaign for his country's independence from Indonesia in 2002 is widely believed among the strongest nominee.

A former guerrilla leader Gusmao, an ally of Horta, is not running for re-election but plans to seek the more powerful post of prime minister in separate parliamentary elections later this year.

Gusmao who was elected in 2002 as Timor Leste's first president has formed a political party to contest parliamentary elections later this year.

The presidential post of the tiny nation is largely ceremonial in a parliamentary government but many hope the winner will bring unity of the nation beset by regional rivalry, rebellious security forces and disillusionment among citizens five years after the joyous celebrations of independence.

Should none of the eight candidates obtain more than 50 percent of the total votes, a second round must be held on May 8, said the spokesman.

The spokesman said that the new government is to be established on Sept. 11.

Timor Leste got its independence in 2002 after 24 years under the Indonesian rule.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2007)