Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she would vote “as a citizen” on Saturday to express her gratitude to civil groups for their hard work in the mass recall campaign.
Civil groups’ efforts have proved that democracy in Taiwan is not an empty slogan, but a daily practice of every citizen that demonstrates Taiwanese’s resilience, she wrote on Facebook last night, describing the recall campaigns as a civic movement.
She said she wanted to thank every civil group for their efforts in contributing to the nation and democracy, and inspiring many with a lesson in civic education.
Photo: Screen grab from Tsai Ing-wen’s Facebook page
Recalls should not be used as a political tool, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today in response to Tsai’s comments.
Tsai has said as such and should not forget it, Hou said.
A genuine lesson in civic education should be about tolerance and communication, so that everyone can move forward, Hou said.
Under the Constitution, people are entitled to the right of election, recall, initiative and referendum, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a routine news conference in Taipei today.
It is the first time that so many civil groups are advocating for a “vote of no confidence” in the nation's lawmakers, Lee said, adding that it would be a review of the Legislative Yuan’s performance over the past year.
The recall campaign has demonstrated that Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, Lee said.
She thanked civil groups for their efforts in exercising their constitutional rights and citizens taking part in the civic movement for turning a new page in Taiwan’s history.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) said that 5,947 polling stations are to be set up in nine counties and cities.
Voters are advised to check the locations of the polling stations on the official recall Web site (polling.cec.gov.tw/index.html), Google maps or at their district offices, it said.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office invited the National Police Agency, the CEC and other investigative units to work together on a special project to probe vote-buying and prevent violence during the recall vote, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) told a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
Their efforts are ongoing, she added.
On Saturday, 15,000 police officers and 6,000 volunteers are to be mobilized to maintain order, the police said.
Citizens using their votes to decide on the future of the legislature could safeguard human rights, democracy and the legal system in Taiwan, Liu said.
She said she hopes the vote will be peaceful and people demonstrate their democratic literacy.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that people should be aware of tactics used by China, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party.
They include cognitive warfare, shifting the focus by attacking political enemies and creating conflict with threats, Wu told a news conference.
The KMT plans to hold a rally against the recall vote tomorrow night on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei, the party said, adding that KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), Hou and other officials are slated to attend.
TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), suspended Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and influencer Holger Chen (陳之漢) are also expected to be there.
Ahead of the recall vote, 48 Chinese military aircraft, nine navy ships and one “official” ship were detected around Taiwan in the 24-hour period before 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Thirty-six of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said.
The situation was closely monitored and combat air patrol aircraft, coastal missile systems and navy vessels were deployed in response, it added.
Additional reporting by Lu Hsien-hsiu
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