The most important election in Taiwan's short democratic history -- to choose its leader for the post-Lee Teng-hui (
On the final night of campaigning, as mandated by law, all three candidates drove themselves to the brink of exhaustion with last-minute efforts to sway voters. Mostly on foot, they "swept the streets" by walking through key townships, pressing the flesh as they went, stopping only to hold a number of mass rallies.
Each camp expressed its confidence of victory, though members of some expressed concern that last-minute vote-buying by rivals could sway the outcome.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG
The KMT, as had been expected, brought in its heavyweights to help the party's candidate, Chang Cheng-hsiung (
The honor guard included KMT Secretary-General John Chang (
Dripping sweat from the intensity of the day, the KMT candidate passed from door to door shaking voters' hands. With supporters filling the narrow streets of his hometown amid the din of the firecrackers, officials said they were feeling ever-more optimistic.
Meanwhile, the DPP's candidate, Lin Chung-li (
Lin, escorted by DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
At least one time during the day, the two camps came face-to-face on a street -- though no incidents of violence were reported.
While nothing is for certain in this race, all three candidates' camps had the same message -- that they will be taking home the main prize today, barring unforeseen incidents.
Liao Feng-jung (1顳p榮), a KMT official in the Yunlin county office, estimated that the party's candidate would garner around 147,000 votes. Kao Meng-ting (高孟定), Chang Jung-wei's campaign manager, predicted Chang will take away 148,000 votes. And DPP official Chou Yi-cheng (周弈|? said Lin is expected to gain 130,000 votes.
A total of 530,000 residents are eligible to vote in the by-election, and many observers expect a voter turnout of approximately 60 percent.
KMT organization department chief Johnson Chen (3紐?g) said the difference between Chang Cheng-hsiung and Chang Jung-wei will be fewer than 3,000 votes. He said the KMT had to boost its candidate's support along the county's coastal areas if it hoped to win.
From observing conditions in Yunlin County, however, it appears that the specter of vote-buying could well be the deciding factor in the race -- something both party officials and analysts have been saying from the beginning.
It is widely claimed that two of the candidates are attempting to buy votes with prices of NT$500 and NT$1,000 per vote, respectively.
In certain areas, such as an opponent's hometown, prices are said to be as high as NT$3,000.
DPP secretary-general Yu Shyi-kun said he worried about last-minute vote-buying today, just before voters begin filing into polling stations around the county.
Another official at Chang Jung-wei's headquarters said if no more money is injected into the "market," the independent candidate is definitely going to win.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS