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Presidential election 2008: 1 day to go: President says he is ready to step down

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) pledged yesterday to hand over power in May to whoever wins the election tomorrow.

Chen said his presidency would end on May 19 and he was prepared to hand over power.

Chen made the remarks while receiving a US think tank at the Presidential Office. On Wednesday, Chen said he was concerned by the prospect of handing over power to a president who might have a US green card.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) has accused his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), of holding a green card since 1977. Ma says his green card was automatically invalidated in 1985 when he applied for a visa to visit the US.

Chen told his foreign guests that he had prayed for a trouble-free election and believed his prayer would be answered.

At a separate news conference yesterday, Central Election Commission Secretary-General Teng Tien-yu (鄧天佑) assured the KMT caucus that the commission would carry out its duty and issue a certificate to the successful candidate within seven days of tomorrow's poll.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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