I think this is bad news as it will likely mean a delay to the suco (village) elections that are supposed to happen in September. There were rumblings of this last week. The problem with the election law, as I understand it, is this new "package" system whereby candidates don't run as individuals.

You have this system of electing suco chiefs, elders, youths and so on to make up the suco council. Normally you'd vote for each position individually, but the package system means candidates run in collectives.

If you vote for a particular candidate for suco chief, he or she will come with other members of the council attached. Some women's groups, in particular, were in favour of this system as it would probably have meant more women getting elected.

The FRETILIN opposition party has been vocal about this because candidates would also have been barred from representing political parties. It doesn't mean that couldn't have had an affiliation, but they wouldn't have been on the voting forms as Miguel Carlos from PSD, or suchlike.

The suco elections are important for all communities in Timor-Leste and it would be a shame to have a political conflict get in the way of them happening this year.