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Election Date: December 11, 2004

At stake: Legislative Yuan

Background

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - 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. Chiang formed the "Republic of China" in the island of Taiwan, and acted as president from 1950 to 1975, maintaining hopes of ruling Mainland China once again.

To this date, Mainland China considers the island a "renegade province" and reserves the right to bring it under control. Taiwan has no seat in the United Nations (UN), and has established diplomatic relations with only 27 countries.

True democratic structures were missing from Taiwan for decades, and the Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) dominated the political landscape for 50 years. In 2000, Chen Shui-bian—leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and former mayor of Taipei—won the presidential election.

Taiwanese residents continue to be split about their future; some argue for total independence, while others suggest re-unification with Mainland China.

2004 Presidential Election

As expected, the issue of sovereignty dominated the campaign. Chen proposed an end to the ambiguous relationship between the two countries as part of his re-election drive. Two defeated candidates from the 2000 contest—Lien Chan of Kuomintang and James Soong of the People First Party (CMT)—ran on a joint-ticket, commonly known as the Pan-Blue Alliance.

Chen—who offered to draft a new constitution by 2006—decided to hold a "defensive referendum" on the island's relationship with Mainland China, to coincide with the presidential vote. On Jan. 16, 2004, Chen announced that the proposed plebiscite would contain two questions.

The first question would review public sentiment on whether the government should purchase an advanced anti-missile protection system, in case Mainland China refuses to redeploy its missiles and renounce the use of force. The second question would gauge if the Taiwanese government should engage in discussions with Mainland China to institute a framework for peaceful interaction. China voiced its strong opposition to the referendum, fearing that it may set a precedent for a large-scale ballot on independence.

On Jan. 27, current Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou urged the president not to hold the election and the referendum on the same day. On Jan. 28, Chen criticized French president Jacques Chirac for warning Taiwan about the possible effects of the plebiscite. The Taiwanese government also canceled two planned cabinet visits to France in protest for Chirac's remarks, issued during Chinese president Hu Jintao's visit to Paris.

On Feb. 14, the two presidential candidates met in the first-ever televised debate in Taiwan's history. President Chen accused his rival of collaborating with China, after Lien pledged to build closer ties with Beijing. The Kuomintang candidate claimed the planned referendum was a threat to Taiwan's security. A second meeting between the two politicians took place on Feb. 21.

Before the first debate, a draw determined the order for the official ballots. Incumbent Chen got the top spot, with opposition candidate Lien listed second. Both parties worked their respective numbers into their campaign slogans.

On Feb. 16, Chen rejected the implementation of Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" policy in Taiwan. On Feb. 17, Lien's vice-presidential nominee Soong declared that he would refuse the referendum ballot before entering the voting booth, and urged other Taiwanese adults to do likewise. The government criticized his suggestion as "anti-democratic."

On Feb. 23, the president's campaign ran a television ad which accused opponent Lien of evading income taxes. The spot suggested that Lien's family owes close to $12 million U.S., and drew a comparison with former United States vice-president Spiro Agnew, who resigned in 1973. Lien dismissed the controversy, claiming the suggestions were "not worth responding to."

On Feb. 28, president Chen organized the "hand-in-hand" rally, where an estimated 1 million people rejected pressure from Mainland China. Opposition candidate Lien also held a mass demonstration on Mar. 13.

Voting intention polls released in early March by the China Times, United Daily News and Sanlih Entertainment Television suggested the race was too close too call, with a considerable number of undecided electors.

On Mar. 16, the Central Election Commission announced fines of $450 U.S. for anyone who openly encouraged others to boycott the "defensive referendum."

On Mar. 19, 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. Chen was shot in the abdomen, and a bullet grazed Lu's right knee. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.

Both Chen and Lu were treated and released from a hospital within hours. Opposition candidate Lien condemned the incident.

Voting went on without any major incidents on Mar. 20. The Central Election Commission released official results a few hours after the polls closed, giving president Chen a narrow victory by just 29,518 votes.

The Commission stated that 337,297 ballots had been declared invalid. A group called Alliance of One Million Invalid Ballots actively campaigned for spoiled votes. The activists suggested the electorate to write "neither of the two options" in their papers. Votes are counted by hand in Taiwan, and there were some discrepancies regarding the standards for declaring invalid ballots.

Lien immediately demanded a recount, claiming the election had been "unfair." The opposition candidate implied that the Mar. 19 shooting could have led to sympathy votes for Chen, and some Kuomintang members suggested the event had been staged. Investigators in Tainan have not determined how many people were involved in the attack, or made any arrests. A $718,000 U.S. reward has been offered to anyone who provides information on the shooting.

The "defensive referendum" was declared invalid, as only 45.17 per cent of eligible voters answered the first question, and 45.12 per cent replied to the second query, short of the 50 per cent required by law for a binding vote. Turnout for the presidential election was tabled at 80.3 per cent.

On Mar. 21, Taiwan's High Court ordered all ballot boxes to remain sealed, but stopped short of ordering an actual recount. On Mar. 22, around 1,000 Kuomintang supporters vowed to remain camped outside the presidential palace until a recount is officially ordered.

On Mar. 23, DPP lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan pondered a proposal to change existing laws to order an official recount if the margin of victory in an election is lower than one percentage point. The idea provoked violent scuffles inside the assembly hall, as KMT legislators said a recount should be ordered without amendments.

On Mar. 24, Chen agreed to meet defeated candidate Lien if the thousands of protesters camped outside the presidential palace leave. Lien has so far filed two separate lawsuits, one to demand a recount and another to declare the election invalid. The second recourse was rejected by the High Court.

On Mar. 29, Lien's KMT filed a formal petition to annul the presidential election. The legal action also sought clarification regarding an order to activate the national security mechanism before the vote took place. Lien maintains that the decision made it impossible for some 200,000 soldiers and law enforcement officers to cast their ballots.

On Mar. 30, the Central Election Commission certified Chen as the winner of the presidential ballot. Also, a team of American forensic experts concluded that the president's wound had been caused by a bullet.

On Mar. 31, Lien demanded a new election, claiming the Mar. 20 vote had been flawed. National security director Tsai Chao-ming tendered his resignation, and took responsibility for security problems before Chen's shooting.

On Apr. 2, Taiwan's High Court gave the two contending parties five days to sort out the details of a possible recount. According to the Central Election Commission, many votes were deemed invalid because the stamps had not been properly placed inside the designated squares on each ballot. KMT secretary-general Lin Fong-cheng said his party was willing to engage in "endless protests" until an impartial inquiry on Chen's shooting is ordered.

On Apr. 3, riot police and protesters clashed in Taipei, in the worst incident of violence since the election.

On Apr. 11, American ballistics expert Henry Lee offered a press conference to release his findings into Chen's shooting. Lee confirmed that the president's wounds had not been self-inflicted, but claimed to have "no idea" on whether the attack was staged. Lee also criticized police in Tainan for not sealing off the crime area.

On Apr. 12, lawyers representing incumbent Chen and challenger Lien sorted out several recount details during a court hearing. Both sides agreed to a full recount by Central Election Commission workers, with the supervision of representatives from each party.

On May 10, the recount of votes from the presidential election officially began. In 21 cities, judges, lawyers and representatives from the Central Election Commission opened the sealed ballot boxes where almost 13 million votes were stored.

On May 18, final results from the recount were made public. Around 23,000 disputed ballots favoured Chen, while roughly another 16,000 favoured Lien. An official ruling on how to deal with these votes is expected to take weeks, but the result of the election remained unchanged.

On May 20, Chen was officially inaugurated for a second term as president. Opposition candidate Lien and running mate Soong did not attend the ceremony, and held a rally of their own.

2004 Legislative Election

On May 6, the Central Election Commission announced that the nationwide ballot to renew the Legislative Yuan would take place on Dec. 11.

Taiwan's constitution has become an important topic of discussion, after president Chen apparently shied away from his pledge to deliver a new body of law, opting instead to make amendments to existing regulations. Former president Lee Teng-hui is leading a campaign to promote the creation of a new constitution.

On May 24, Mainland China's spokesman for Taiwanese affairs Zhang Mingqing said that Beijing is willing to "pay any price" to prevent Taiwan from seeking independence or drafting a new constitution.

Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the 2001 legislative election, placing 87 lawmakers in the 225-seat Yuan. The Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (CMT) are discussing the possibility of a merger. Together, both political organizations elected 114 lawmakers in the 2001 ballot.

If Chen's DPP is able to achieve a majority in the Legislative Yuan, the government is expected to finalize an $18 billion U.S. arms deal with the U.S. The president has suggested that the purchase is necessary for defence purposes, but the opposition KMT has opposed the plan. Chen might also push for constitutional amendments, regarded by many as Taiwan's first step towards sovereignty.

On Dec. 9, KMT leader Lien declared that his party was "cautiously optimistic about the elections." Lien directly referred to the alleged assassination attempt on Chen during the presidential campaign, saying, "There'll be no more two bullets, I believe. Nor will there be another referendum—like the one held alongside the election." Also on Dec. 9, police officers found four suspected bombs at a Taipei railway station.

The results of a Transparency International report indicated that 68 per cent of Taiwanese respondents considered the Legislative Yuan as the country's institution that is most affected by corruption.

Voting went on without any major problems on Dec. 11. Final results gave the victory to the opposition Pan-Blue Alliance. The Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) and its allies—the People First Party (CMT) and the New Party (HT)—took control of 114 of the 225 seats at stake. Two former KMT members won their seats as non-partisan candidates.

KMT leader Lien claimed victory, saying, "We don't want war. We don't want our government to take the road of provocation and create tension."

The Pan-Green Alliance encompassing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) elected 101 lawmakers. President Chen urged for reconciliation, saying, "Let us unite Taiwan, stabilize ties across the Taiwan Strait and work together for economic prosperity."

Voter turnout was tabled at 59 percent, a seven per cent drop from the 2001 legislative ballot.

Before the election, Lien had demanded Chen to appoint an opposition member as prime minister, should the Pan-Blue Alliance win. Lien suggested former finance minister Chiang Pin-kun—the KMT's vice-chairman—for the position.

On Dec. 30, Taiwan's High Court rejected a second lawsuit filed by the KMT to invalidate the March presidential election.

On Jan. 24, 2005, Yu's cabinet resigned. Chen named Frank Hsieh as his replacement. The 58-year-old Hsieh—the head of the governing Democratic Progressive Party and a former mayor of Kaohsiung—was sworn in on Feb. 1.

Political Players

President: Chen Shui-bian - DPP
Vice-president: Annette Lu - DPP
Prime minister: Frank Hsieh - DPP

The president is elected to a four-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Li fa Yuan (Legislative Yuan) has 225 members; 168 members are elected to three-year terms in multi-seat constituencies, 41 members are elected by proportional representation, eight members represent aboriginals and eight members represent overseas citizens. If required, the Kuo-Min Ta-Hui (National Assembly) is elected by proportional representation to oversee constitutional matters.

Results of Last Election:

President - Mar. 20, 2004

Legislative Yuan - Dec. 11, 2004

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