Timor Leste is a horribly cynical choice, and still would be even if the negotiations had been sensibly handled and the government and populace had shown themselves willing.
Strong local connections and community involvement used to be essential for politicians. Now candidates with grassroots experience struggle against machine men, as the contest to succeed Bob McMullan shows.
Several NGOs are struggling with recruitment, with one major aid organisation hiring a not-so-ideal candidate out of necessity, while another watches the way staff are chewed up and spat out.
Presidents-elect have transition teams, but then they also have the luxury of a couple of months between their elections and swearing-in. But with the polls the way they are, it’s not too early for us to start thinking out aloud of the likely make up of the first Rudd ministry.