East Timor's election commission rejected on Thursday calls for a vote recount as the tiny nation looked set for a presidential run-off between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and the ruling Fretilin Party's candidate.
Monday's polls were mostly peaceful but a drawn-out election period and allegations of irregularities will raise concerns about fresh instability in the impoverished nation, still suffering from deep divisions five years after independence.
Overnight dozens of people in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, once a Portuguese colony, held a candlelit vigil near a statue of the Mother Mary in Dili to pray for peace.
Martinho Gusmao, the election commission spokesman, said the commission had offered to meet candidates to discuss voting disputes. But he said there would not be any major shift in the results and rejected calls by some candidates for a recount.
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