DILI (AP) - East Timor swore in an interim prime minister to replace incumbent Jose Ramos-Horta, who will leave his post to officially become the new president on Sunday.
Estanislau da Silva become the tiny country's third prime minister on Saturday. The first was Mari Alkatiri, who was ousted following fighting between military factions, and the second was Nobel Peace Prize winner Ramos-Horta, who won an election last week to replace independence leader Xanana Gusmao as president.
Da Silva will serve for only about two months, after which legislative elections will be held to pick new lawmakers and a new prime minister for the next five years.
East Timor broke free from decades of often brutal Indonesian rule in 1999 following a U.N.-sponsored ballot. Retreating Indonesian troops and loyalist militias destroyed much of the country, which was administered by the United Nations until 2002.
Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, the president of Parliament, was expected to swear Ramos-Horta in as president on Sunday morning, officials said. Guterres was Ramos-Horta's main contender in last week's election.