By Tito Belo DILI, May 16 (Reuters) - Political clashes and street fights between machete-wielding rival gangs in East Timor have left one person dead and injured more than 20 people less than a week after a presidential run-off, officials said on Wednesday. One East Timorese was killed and two were injured in clashes involving political supporters in Ermera district on Monday, Antonio Caleres Junior, director of the national hospital in the capital, Dili, told Reuters by telephone. But it was not clear if they were linked to the two candidates contesting last week's second round of presidential elections. Ermera district is about six hours' drive west from Dili. Violence erupts sporadically in the tiny nation, but the run-off between Nobel peace prize winner and current prime minister Jose Ramos-Horta and parliament chief Francisco Guterres, president of the dominant Fretilin party, was peaceful. Ramos-Horta swept the run-off with nearly 70 percent of the votes, raising hopes of greater stability in a nation still struggling to heal divisions five years after it won independence from Indonesia. Guterres conceded defeat and urged his supporters to accept the result. In a separate incident on Tuesday, gang clashes involving martial arts groups left 19 people injured, but the fighting did not appear to be related to the elections, Junior said. East Timor's police operations commander, Mateus Fernandes, said rival political supporters also clashed in Liquica district late on Tuesday, but there were no casualties. "There was fighting among supporters of presidential candidates Jose Ramos-Horta and Francisco Guterres ... but no one was injured," Fernandes said. Fernandes said local and U.N. police had stepped up patrols in and outside Dili to prevent further violence. International observers said the presidential run-off was conducted freely and fairly, after the first round a month ago was marred by complaints of widespread irregularities. East Timor voted for independence from Indonesian rule in a violence-marred referendum in 1999. It became fully independent in 2002 after a period of U.N. administration. Outgoing President Xanana Gusmao will now run for the more hands-on post of prime minister in parliamentary polls on June 30.
