Speculations are over. For now. Timor-Leste Foreign (and Senior) minister (and altogether hoopy frood) José Ramos-Horta has stated that if he has to choose between becoming Secretary-General of the UN and President of the Republic, the priority would be Timor-Leste.

A week or so, i pondered which position he would pursue if presented with both. If he’d run for SG, there’s no chance he would/could run for prez, regardless of the outcome of the former. Precidency would look like a second price if he’d run for SG and then not got it. UN SG is a more prestigious post, but he’s the man who got a Nobel peace price for helping to liberate Timor-Leste… so he’d sort of have to run for president if the situation appeared. Or what do i know, i’m just a humble IT advisor

Officially, Ramos-Horta hasn’t nominated himself for the presidential elections yet (and neither has he nominated himself for UN sec-gen). The talk is still at the “if my country needs me”-stage.

And of course, there’s nothing stopping the man running for SG once he’s through with the presidency