Procedures, perspectives, politics and peace: The 2012 national elections in Timor- Leste

The 2012 national elections in Timor-Leste were deemed free and fair by international observers and have been taken as an indicator that the young country is progressing towards democratisation and peace. While the conduct of elections is used to measure the relative success or failure of democracy and state-building in Timor-Leste, this paper argues that focusing on procedures alone ignores many of the nuances of how and why people engage in national political processes. Understanding such perspectives may offer important insight into ongoing social changes and the prospects for peace and stable governance. In this paper, I first consider literature on the promotion and measurement of democracy in post-conflict countries, including Timor-Leste, and then introduce findings from research conducted during the 2012 elections.