More than 400 foreign journalists have applied to cover the March 20 presidential election and the first-ever nationwide referendum, government sources said yesterday.
According to the sources, the international community has traditionally paid great attention to the nation's presidential elections. This time around, the sources said, it has shown even more concern about the election as a result of the controversial referendum.
Nearly all major foreign news organizations have filed applications to cover the election, the sources said, adding that journalists intending to cover the event include correspondents stationed in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and at the UN's headquarters.
The sources said 711 foreign journalists covered the first direct presidential election in 1996, when China lobbed missiles and conducted live-fire military exercises in an attempt to influence the election result. In 2000, 600-plus foreign reporters covered the presidential election.
A Government Information Office (GIO) official said that the number of foreign journalists applying to cover the election will continue to increase in the coming days.
Most public opinion polls show that the race between the ticket of President Chen Shui-bian (
The GIO official said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the GIO have worked out a common itinerary for all arriving foreign journalists.
The foreign press corps will visit the Chen-Lu campaign headquarters on March 16 and the Lien-Soong campaign headquarters on March 17.
On March 18, they will be offered the chance to interview Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (
The election, the referendum and cross-strait relations are expected to be the main focus of the interview.
On the afternoon of election day, the press group will be taken to the Central Election Commission to observe the vote-counting process.
The following day, a seminar will be held for foreign journalists and local academics to discuss the outcome of the election and the referendum results.
Meanwhile, the ministry said it has invited the Association of Asian Election Authorities to organize a delegation to observe the election and witness the nation's progress in political democratization and electoral system advancement.
The association was formed in 1997 to promote and institutionalize democratic reforms such as open and transparent elections, independent and impartial election authorities, the professionalization of Asian election authorities, citizen participation in the electoral and civic process, information-sharing and the development of resources for election-related information and research.
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