The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the re-election of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was valid, dismissing one of two lawsuits by pan-blue-camp lawyers claiming that Chen and Lu were unfairly elected.
The Taiwan High Court ruled against the pan-blue camp's election lawsuit last November. The decision was then appealed to the Supreme Court. Yesterday's verdict cannot be appealed.
"The court rejects the plaintiff's three claims because the pan-blue camp has failed to provide adequate evidence for any of the arguments presented to the court," Judge Shih Chao-hsiung (許朝雄) said.
TAIPEI TIMES POOL PHOTO
The judge said pan-blue-camp claims that the pan-green camp had attempted to influence or manipulate the result of the presidential election by staging an assassination attempt on March 19, the eve of the election, were not backed up by any evidence.
He also referred to pan-blue-camp claims that two Kaohsiung-based underground radio stations had reported that Chen and Lu had been the victims of a conspiracy by the pan-blue camp and the Chinese Communist Party.
But he said that there was no evidence to show that Chen and Lu had ordered the stations to do this.
The judge said pan-blue lawyers had also claimed Chen and Lu avoided the public after the shooting in order to win more voter sympathy. But he said that the matter had no bearing on the law relating to presidential elections.
Shih said the pan-blue-camp lawyers had contended that Chen and Lu had staged the assassination attempt, then launched a so-called "national security mechanism" to influence the election.
The lawyers claimed that military and police personnel, allegedly mostly pan-blue supporters, were thus deprived of the ability to vote.
But Shih said the increased security measures implemented by the Ministry of National Defense were lawful. In addition to this, he said, no evidence had been presented to the court showing that Chen had ordered the activation of a "national security mechanism."
On the allegation that Chen used the referendum on the day of the presidential election to unfairly influence the result of the election itself, the court said that Chen had never required the Cabinet to hold the referendum concurrently with the election, and that it had just been a suggestion.
He said the Central Election Commission decided to hold the referendum with the presidential election. The court therefore could not conclude that Chen had tried to influence the election.
Also see story:
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS