As people yesterday lined up at polling stations nationwide to vote, there were some incidents of ballots being destroyed and numerous reports of voting delays because of the massive turnout, resulting in people still waiting in line after the polls were scheduled to close at 4pm.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that voting would continue until those who were in line at 4pm had cast their ballots.
Commission officials attributed the high voter turnout to the warm, sunny weather and heated mayoral and city council races in several of the special municipalities.
Photo: CNA
The combination of the nine-in-one elections and 10 referendums also contributed to lengthy voting waits, officials said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) arrived at her polling station at Sioulang Elementary School in New Taipei City about 8:30am, where she waited in line with other residents for about 30 minutes.
Although her security team was around her, Tsai chatted with those near her in line while they waited.
“This is the mark of a democracy, of people voting to express their will. This is the first time we have so many referendum questions, so voters need to spend a little more time. When more referendum votes are held in the future, then people will be more familiar with the process,” Tsai said later.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) complained about the long lines, saying he had to wait for about an hour arriving about 11am at his polling station at Dongmen Elementary School in Taipei.
Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) arrived at 10am at his polling station in Songshan District (松山) and waited one-and-a-half hours to vote.
There were still lines of people waiting to cast their ballots as of 6pm in several locations, including Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung.
In a dramatic episode, a 62-year-old Kaohsiung resident surnamed Su (蘇) died just after casting her ballots at a polling station in Hunei District (湖內).
She collapsed inside the polling station, and was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital, but could not be revived, and Kaohsiung officials said it appeared she had experienced a stroke.
As of 4pm, 41 incidents of ballots being destroyed had been reported, officials said.
A woman surnamed Yeh (葉) in New Taipei’s Sindian District (新店) was questioned after she tore up her 10 referendum ballots.
She would be fined NT$50,000, or NT$5,000 per ballot, for contravening Article 44 of the Referendum Act (公民投票法), officials said.
Three incidents were reported in New Taipei City of people taking cellphones into voting booths, officials said, adding that the two men and one woman were taken in for questioning for contravening the Civil Servants Election And Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), and could face fines of up to NT$300,000.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS