Yesterday was the last day of Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Huang Shih-cheng's (黃石城) eventful term, and Huang used a farewell speech to say he had handled electoral matters fairly and justly.
"Impartiality and fairness are the most important aspects of this job, and I think I have carried out my responsibilities well," Huang said at his sendoff yesterday afternoon.
Different political camps like to take advantage of electoral matters, which is all the more reason why the CEC needs to remain fair," Huang said.
Huang has served as a CEC commissioner since 1994 and was appointed chairman in 2000 by the Cabinet. During his chairmanship, Huang presided over nine elections, including two presidential and vice-presidential elections and the March 20 referendum.
Huang also said he was pleased to see that the public had become increasingly interested in electoral matters.
"When I first started, the public and the media were not too interested in electoral details. But later on, every time I got out of the car in the morning the press would be there waiting for me," Huang said.
"Elections are a symbol of a country's democratic progress, and such affairs should be treated with the seriousness they deserve," Huang said.
Huang's colleagues lined up to compliment him for his work ethic.
"Before 2000, the chairmanship of the CEC was held by the minister of the interior. Huang was the first chairman who was not in this position," CEC Secretary-General Tsai Li-hsueh (
"Throughout his four years as chair, he led the team through difficult situations and was fair and just throughout," Tsai said.
The appointment of Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄) as Huang's successor has resulted in considerable opposition from the pan-blue alliance.
The CEC yesterday said the date that Chang would take up the chairman's post had not been finalized.
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