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Elections 2006: Parties trade vote-buying allegations

Campaign workers representing the Democratic Progressive Party's Kaohsiung mayoral candidate, Chen Chu, wear face masks during a press conference in Kaohsiung yesterday at which they claimed that supporters of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Huang Chun-ying seemed to offer money to voters attending Chen's campaign rally. PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMESN

The electoral tussle between mayoral candidates of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) looked set to extend to the courtroom as the two sides traded vote-buying allegations and a lawsuit.

Early yesterday morning, DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chu (陳菊) accused her KMT opponent Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) of handing out envelopes of money to people on buses returning from his campaign rally late on Friday night.

A few hours after Chen Chu's camp made the allegation, Huang 's spokesman Apollo Chen (陳學聖) filed a lawsuit with the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office against Chen Chu, accusing her of slander and violation of the election and recall law (選舉罷免法).

At a press conference held yesterday morning, a spokesman for Chen Chu, Hsiao Yu-cheng (蕭裕正), said five of the DPP's younger volunteers who disguised themselves as participants at Huang's rally witnessed a staffer give NT$500 (US$15) to every participant on the buses.

The staffer, nicknamed Hei Sung (黑松), also told those who took the money to vote for Huang, Hsiao said.

Chen Chu's camp, however, did not have photographic evidence of the alleged exchanges.

Hsiao said prosecutors had seized the two buses and questioned the bus drivers over the case after the headquarters reported the case to prosecutors' office earlier yesterday.

Hsiao urged the participants to come forward so that they may be exempted from legal punishment and "justice may be served."

"It is a well-known fact that the KMT buys votes in order to get elected," said the Chen camp's chief organizer Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), questioning whether KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would withdraw from the party if Huang was found to be involved in the incident.

Huang should also apologize to the public if found guilty, he added.

The allegations gained wider exposure when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) commented on the case after casting his vote in Taipei City's Songshan District with first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) yesterday morning.

"If the allegation proves to be true, it will be a humiliation to voters and a disgrace to Taiwan's democracy," he said.

"I believe if the candidate elected is convicted of vote-buying, the election should be annulled," he said. "I hope investigators and prosecutors will launch an immediate investigation into the matter."

DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) at a separate conference requested the Ministry of Justice deliver a report to the legislature and urged voters to spurn political parties that conducted vote-buying.

Denying Chen Chu's allegation, Huang said "this incident is the Chen Chu camp's dirty trick to besmirch my good name on the eve of the election."

Wearing a yellow headband with the Chinese character for "anger," he added that the president's comments amounted to inappropriate interference in the voting process.

Apollo Chen added that they had checked all vehicles which took Huang's supporters to the rally on Friday night but found no buses with the plate number "XX-873" and "8021GQ" as the Chen Chu camp claimed.

Ma also condemned the president for spreading the accusations yesterday.

"As the nation's leader, President Chen's action goes against the Election and Recall Law. It's very inappropriate and should be condemned," Ma said when casting his vote in Taipei.

Ma said the accusations were nothing but a campaigning tactic from the Chen Chu camp.

Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chung Chung-hsiao (鍾忠孝) confirmed that the Kaohsiung prosecutors yesterday early morning ordered police to seize the two vehicles involving the allegation.

The two vehicles were seized by prosecutors and the drivers were taken in for questioning, he added.

Central Election Commission Spokesman Deng Tien-yu (鄧天祐) said the president was expressing the hope that the police would look into the matter.

Given the affected candidate had filed a lawsuit and the case would now be placed in the hands of the justice system, the commission would respect it, he added.

Additional reporting by Rich Chang and Fang Cheng-hsiang
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