Campaigning for Taiwan's presidential election officially kicked off yesterday, with rallies across the island marked by drum beats, firecrackers, and handshakes as the military strengthened defenses against Chinese attempts to influence the voting.
The three candidates rode on vans to greet voters along main boulevards and side streets and later made speeches at rallies in search of votes in the March 18 election.
Followed by more than 250 cars and motorcycles and a drum team, DPP hopeful Chen Shui-bian (
Supporters ignited firecrackers and reached out for a handshake with Chen, who told his supporters that "Let A-bian (
"If A-bian is elected president, I will eliminate gangsters and the links between businesses and politics. I can solve the problems of the people," Chen said.
Chen is running against four other candidates -- KMT-nominee and Vice President Lien Chan (連戰), independents James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), and the New Party's Lee Ao (李敖).
Lien returned to his family's original hometown in Tainan to "start from home, from south to north in striving for victory." Lien himself was actually born in Xian, China.
He attended rallies of hundreds of veterans and grassroots KMT cadres to drum up support.
"We are in the same boat, wearing the same pair of pants as we seek security and development on Taiwan," Lien said. "Our idea is to carry out rational reform to make Taiwan a better place."
In Taipei, thousands of Aborigines from various ethnic groups gathered at a park to show their backing for Soong, a former KMT heavyweight who has been subject to lawsuits and mudslinging from the ruling party.
Soong's supporters raised their fists and waved flags shouting "Soong, victory" as the former Taiwan provincial governor vowed to seek harmony among different ethnic groups and develop a better health program for Aboriginals.
Today the candidates will participate in a live television forum at 2pm to deliver their campaign speeches.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense (
Military forces will also intensify patrols and closely monitor any Chinese military maneuvers, the report said. The task force will be in operation until May 20 when the newly-elected president takes office.
In Taiwan's first direct presidential race in 1996, China held threatening war games near Taiwan. Washington sent warships near the island, bringing the two closer to confrontation than at any time since the 1970s.
With 28 days to go until this year's election, Lien, Chen and Soong share roughly equal support in most opinion polls. Each has about 25 percent support, with some polls giving Soong and Chen a slight edge of one or two percentage points over Lien.
About 15 million are eligible to cast ballots on March 18 and results of the vote should be known by 9pm the same day, the Central Election Commission said.
Analysts say the election is a race between three candidates -- Lien, Soong, and Chen, and voters are placing more importance on image and political ideologies than platforms.
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