East Timor prime minister resigns

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned Monday bowing to pressure from East Timor President Xanana Gusmao.

Protestors broke out in celebration on the streets of the capital Dili upon hearing the news.


East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned Monday after street protests and pressure from President Xanana Gusmao. AFP/Candido Alves photo from Yahoo News.

Gusmao called on Alkatiri to resign and accept responsibility for violence that has rocked the tiny nation since May.

The ruling Fretilin party did not name a successor to Alkatiri, but Gusmao has called a meeting Tuesday to address the emerging nation's political and economic crisis.

East Timor ruling party keeps Alkatiri as prime minister

In a blow to President Xanana Gusmao, East Timor's ruling party voted to keep Mari Alkatiri on as prime minister.

The move prompted the resignations of two government ministers including Nobel peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, who acted as both foreign and defense minister.


East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri speaks on a cellphone during a press conference in Dili. AFP/Candido Alves photo via Yahoo News.

Gusmano called for Alkatiri to resign last week after his failure to contain rampant violence that has troubled the country since last month. Gusmao threatened to resign himself if Alkatiri did not cede to his demands.

The ruling Fretilin party has asked both leaders to stay on at their posts.

Vietnam's leadership resigns

Vietnam's prime minister, president and assembly chief all resigned in an expected change of leadership, Assembly sources said on Saturday.

The Assembly approved the resignations of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, President Tran Duc Luong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An.


Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai addresses the National Assembly in Hanoi on June 16, 2006. AFP file photo via Yahoo News.

Khai's first deputy Nguyen Tan Dung, 56, is expected to take over as the new premier.

Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in economic growth with an 8.4 percent rise in 2005, and is moving toward membership in the World Trade Organization.