The first CNRT congress, which opened on August 21, is likely to provide some signposts to East Timor's political future. But critical decisions about a new constitution, the country's political structure and even its official name will not be decided until after elections next August for a 50 or 60-strong constituent assembly. CNRT Vice-President Jose Ramos Horta says the president should hold executive power. Gusmao himself appears to favour a system in which the president would share executive powers with other elected officials. Younger Timorese, almost all of whom speak Indonesian but not Portuguese, suspect the CNRT is trying to prevent them from participating in the new government.
Aid remains crucial.
In any case, there is general agreement that for the first five years after it is formed, East Timor's new government will have to depend heavily on expert UN or Western bilateral assistance, particularly at senior levels. The sheer lack of qualified people is particularly evident in health and education. East Timor has only 15 qualified doctors. There are plenty of primary school teachers, but few secondary teachers. None of the 18 district court judges recruited so far has a full law degree.