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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Taiwan’s Chen Low, But Few Blame Him for Scandal
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Chen Shui-bian holds a low level of public support in Taiwan, according to a poll by United Daily News. Only 28 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the president's performance.
Chen—of the Democratic Progressive Party (MCT)—was first elected in 2000. In March 2004, he earned a second term in an election marred by controversy. Just one day before Taiwanese citizens were to head to the voting booths, Chen and vice-president Annette Lu were shot as they were riding in a convertible automobile during a campaign event in Tainan. Opposition candidate Lien Chan of the Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) implied that the shooting could have led to sympathy votes for Chen.
The United Daily News poll was conducted after revelations that former presidential office deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan was allegedly involved in an illegal profiteering scheme between the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) and brokerage firm Huapan Co. that exploited Thai labourers working on a railway project.
The story broke after television station TVBS showed a November 2002 photograph where Chen Che-nan and former KRTC vice-chairman Chen Min-hsien are sitting together at a casino table in South Korea's Cheju Island. On Oct. 30, Chen Che-nan was formally expelled from the MCT.
President Chen said he "felt very sorry for the lack of integrity of Chen Che-nan." 54 per cent of respondents believe the president had no prior knowledge of his former aide's alleged irregular behaviour.
Taiwan was formed in 1949 after the government of Chiang Kai-shek was forced out of China as Mao Zedong's communists were gaining prominence. To this date, Mainland China considers Taiwan a "renegade province" and reserves the right to bring it under control.
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with Chen Shui-bian's performance as president?
Satisfied | 28% |
Dissatisfied | 56% |
No opinion | 16% |
Do you think president Chen Shui-bian had prior knowledge of Chen Che-nan's alleged irregular behaviour?
Yes | 13% |
No | 54% |
No opinion | 32% |
Source: United Daily News
Methodology: Interviews with 1,117 Taiwanese adults, conducted on Oct. 29, 2005. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.