Research, translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Images : Central News Agency, NTDTV
News on Taiwan, U.S., Japan
News (1)
Lai Ching-te was elected as the new president of the Republic of China: Feedback from all walks of life, Congratulations from the United States and Japan
The results of Taiwan's 2024 general election are out. Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-Khim of the Democratic Progressive Party won the election with 5.58 million votes, ending the eight-year curse of party rotation since the direct election of the president. The Democratic Progressive Party entered its third consecutive term in power. Kuomintang candidate Hou Yu-ih and People's Party candidate Ko Wenje admitted defeat.
This election is regarded as one of the most important events in the world in 2024, and the results will affect how geopolitics turns. Both the local people in Taiwan and the international community are paying close attention.
Taiwan has a population of 24 million, and this year 19.54 million people have the right to vote. According to the statistics released by the Central Election Commission on the official website of 17,795 polling stations earlier, the turnout rate of this presidential election was 71.86%, and the number of valid votes was 14,048,310, which was only slightly lower than the number of valid votes in the previous presidential election. 14.3 million 940 people, voting rate 74.90%.
In this legislative election, both the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang are striving for a majority of the seats in Congress. However, with the Kuomintang’s party chairman Ko Wenje vying for the president this time, it was predicted before the election that the new Congress would have “three parties less than a majority”. one of the possible outcomes.
According to the vote results, the DPP's number of seats in Congress dropped from 61 to 51 four years ago, making it the second largest party in Congress, while the KMT's number of seats increased from 38 to 52 four years ago, making it the largest party in Congress. .
The following is the real-time update (Extracts):
News (2)
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives will send a delegation to attend the inauguration of Lai Ching-te
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson congratulated Lai Ching-te on being elected as the next president of Taiwan through the social media
Johnson said that in order to demonstrate the U.S. Congress's continued commitment to security and democracy, it will ask the chairmen of relevant House of Representatives committees to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan during the inauguration ceremony in May.
Issued by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul, Ranking Democratic Representative of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the Indo-Pacific Group Young Kim, and Ranking Democratic Representative of the Indo-Pacific Group Ami Bera. The joint statement stated that today's election is another milestone in Taiwan's vibrant and strong democracy.
The lawmakers condemned Beijing's attempts to influence the election through disinformation and military pressure. They also praised the Taiwanese people for adhering to democratic ideals and looked forward to cooperating with Lai and Hsiao to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan economic, cultural and defense relations.
When asked about his views on Taiwan's election results today, U.S. President Biden reiterated that he does not support Taiwan's independence.
News (3)
British Foreign Minister congratulates Lai Ching-te on his victory
British Foreign Secretary Cameron issued an official statement on the 13th to congratulate Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te on his victory. Cameron said he expected both sides of the Taiwan Strait to make renewed efforts to peacefully resolve differences through constructive dialogue "without the threat of force, use of force or coercion."
Cameron said that the general election held today is proof of Taiwan's vibrant democratic system. He congratulated the people of Taiwan on the successful election of the president, vice president and legislators, and congratulated Lai Ching-te on his election.
In 2016 and 2020, when DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen won the election, the British Foreign Secretary also issued a formal statement to express congratulations.
News (4)
Chairman of the British Foreign Affairs Committee congratulated Lai Ching-te on his victory and praised Taiwan's democracy as a regional model
Kerns, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, congratulated Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te on his victory through social media on the 13th. She said that Taiwan continues to be "our friend and ally"; Taiwan is committed to democracy and can be regarded as a regional model.
In an exclusive interview with China Central News Agency in September last year, Kerns mentioned that the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, which she leads, believes in the "right to self-determination", a basic principle of a free society, and therefore will always respect the decision that the Taiwanese people think is best for them.
She pointed out that the Foreign Affairs Committee "does not accept China's position on Taiwan" and believes that "Taiwan should have the sovereignty that Taiwan pursues and deserves."
News (5)
The U.S. Secretary of State congratulates Lai and the people of Taiwan
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a written statement on Saturday (13 January 2024) regarding Taiwan’s presidential election that ended that day, congratulating Lai Ching-te, the elected president, and the people of Taiwan.
The following is a Chinese translation of the full text of the statement:
The United States congratulates Dr. Lai Ching-te for winning Taiwan's presidential election. We also congratulate the people of Taiwan for once again demonstrating the power of their strong democratic institutions and electoral process.
The United States is committed to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and to peacefully resolving differences without coercion or pressure. The partnership between the people of the United States and Taiwan, rooted in democratic values, continues to expand and deepen in all aspects of economic, cultural and people-to-people ties.
We look forward to working with Dr. Lai and Taiwan’s party leaders to advance our shared interests and values, and to enhance our cooperation in accordance with the United States’ One China policy guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiqués, and the Six Pledges. Long-term unofficial relationship. We are confident that Taiwan will continue to be a role model for all those who strive for freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
News (6)
Akio Yaita: The discussion of Lai Ching-te’s team is in line with the trend of the times
"Sankei Shimbun" Taipei Branch Director Akio Yaita posted a post on Facebook fan page analyzing three key factors for winning the election.
First of all, the discussion of Lai Ching-te's team is in line with the trend of the times, that is, in the confrontation between "civilization and barbarism", "democracy and dictatorship", "freedom and oppression", choose to stand on the side of civilization, democracy and freedom. Believe in the value of liberal democracy, rather than "believe in Xi Jinping," and have clear and consistent explanations. Unlike other candidates whose positions are inconsistent. For example: in the past, they were against trade in services, but now they support trade in services; in the past, they were against nuclear weapons, but now they advocate restarting nuclear weapons.
Lai Ching-te's team also adopted a mild polemic strategy to develop support, such as the promotional video "On the Road" that aroused widespread discussion and gave people a very warm impression.
The third point is that Lai’s team did not use any means to win and took a bright road. Do not cooperate with local forces, do not allow the underworld and Hong Kong to go public on the backdoor, actively cut off from candidates with money or sex scandals, and strive to maintain the clean image of the party.
News (7)
Japan congratulates Lai Ching-te on his election
On the evening of the 13th, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a congratulatory speech by Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on its official website after Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Qingde was confirmed to be elected. During the conversation, he said that Taiwan is an important partner and friend of Japan, and cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Taiwan will be further deepened in the future. She also called for direct dialogue to peacefully resolve the issues facing Taiwan.
News (8)
CNN: Taiwanese ignore the CCP’s threat and give Xi Jinping a blow
CNN pointed out that Taiwanese voters ignored the CCP’s warnings and gave the ruling party a historic third consecutive presidential election victory. The election results showed that voters supported the Democratic Progressive Party’s view that Taiwan is a De facto sovereign states should step up their guard against the Chinese threat and deepen relations with other democracies, even if this means economic punishment or military intimidation from Beijing.
CNN said that this result is also a further disregard for Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s increasingly tough strategy towards Taiwan over the past eight years, and another heavy blow to the Kuomintang, which supports the warming of relations with Beijing.
News (9)
Bloomberg: Lai’s victory is a blow to Xi Jinping
"Bloomberg" commented that Lai Qingde has been called a "troublemaker" and "separatist" by Beijing. His victory is a blow to Xi Jinping and may make Beijing dissatisfied. Taiwanese voters' decision to back Lai underscores their desire to distance themselves from China over their growing frustration with day-to-day domestic issues such as high housing prices and slower-than-expected wage growth. The Democratic Progressive Party won a record third consecutive term in power, which will also test the recently stabilized U.S.-China relations.
News (10)
Gordon Chang: Taiwan election results thwart CCP ambitions
Gordon Chang, an expert on China issues, said that Taiwanese voters declared loudly to the CCP that "they are Taiwanese" by voting for Lai Ching-te and refused to accept intimidation from the CCP.
News (11)
Lai Xiaopei was elected and held an international press conference
At 8.30 pm local time on January 13, the campaign headquarters of Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Qingde announced that Lai Qingde was elected. Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-Khim held an international press conference at 8.30 pm and spoke to supporters.
Today is the voting day for the presidential legislative election. The Democratic Progressive Party set up an outdoor stage on Beiping East Road in front of the campaign headquarters of Lai and Hsiao to hold the "Towards Victory, Balloting Night" party. Supporters poured into the venue one after another in the afternoon to pay attention to the voting updates. Beiping East Road was packed with people, making it difficult to move.
As the number of votes for Lai Xiaopei increased, the mood of the masses was uplifted. President Lai told the media in the evening that Hsiao had arrived at the party headquarters at 6 pm, and Lai arrived at 6.30 pm.
Lai Xiaopei held an international press conference to accept questions from the media. After that, he went to the main stage to thank supporters.
News (12)
The full text of Lai Ching-te's victory speech: The country is on the right path and tells the world that Taiwan stands on the side of democracy
Image : After other opponents announced their defeat one after another, the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates Lai Ching-te (left) and Hsiao Bi-Khim (right) successfully won the election. They attended the international press conference together in the evening. (Central News Agency)
Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te held an international press conference with vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-Khim to announce his election on his own. Lai said that he had received congratulatory calls from his opponents and congratulated them on winning seats in Congress, and looked forward to working together in unity and cooperation in the future.
In his speech, Lai Ching-te said that the elections for the 16th President, Vice President and 11th Legislative Council were successfully completed. He thanked the Taiwanese people for writing a new page in history and showing the world that they cherish the democratic system. This is the persistence that everyone will never give up. Thank you to your opponents for showing With a democratic demeanor, he had already accepted congratulatory calls from his opponents earlier. He also congratulated the Kuomintang and the People's Party for winning seats in the Legislature, and hoped that they could unite and cooperate together in the future.
News (13)
Three major significances of Lai Ching-te’s victory: Tsai Ing-wen’s 8-year rule breaks the 8-year curse
He said that the Taiwan election is the most eye-catching first election of the 2024 world election year. Taiwan has won the first victory of the democratic camp. This victory has three great significances. First, Taiwan tells the world that between democracy and authoritarianism, Taiwan chooses to stand. On the side of democracy, Taiwan, the Republic of China, will walk side by side with international democratic allies; second, the people will take actions to resist the intervention of external forces, because everyone believes that "they choose their own president."
Third, Lai said that among the three groups of candidates, Lai Xiaopei received the most support and represented that the country would be on the right path and would not turn or look back.
Votes for the 16th President and Vice President election were opened today. According to statistics from the Central Election Commission's Central Election Center, as of 8.20 pm, the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates Lai Ching-te and Xiao Meiqin continued to lead with 5.43 million, 397 votes, a vote rate of 40.1%. Hou Kang is paired with Ke Ying; Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wenje announced their defeat earlier.
The following is the full text of Lai Qingde’s speech at the International Press Conference:
Friends from the media at home and abroad, good night everyone, and thank you for your patience.
The election of the 16th President, Vice President and the 11th Legislator of the Republic of China has been successfully completed today.
Thank you to the people of Taiwan for jointly writing a new page of democracy and showing the world that we cherish the democratic system. This is our persistence and we will never give up.
I would like to thank my two opponents for their democratic demeanor. I have just accepted their congratulatory calls. I also congratulate the parties they lead for winning seats in Congress, and look forward to uniting and cooperating for the country in the future.
As the most eye-catching first election of the 2024 world election year, Taiwan achieved the first victory of the democratic camp!
This victory has three great significances
The first meaning is that Taiwan tells the world that between democracy and authoritarianism, we choose to stand on the side of democracy. Taiwan, the Republic of China, will continue to walk side by side with international democratic allies.
The second meaning is that the Taiwanese people have used actions to successfully resist the intervention of external forces. Because we believe that we can choose our own president.
The third meaning is that among the three groups of candidates, Lai Xiaopei received the most support, which means that the country will continue to walk on the right path and will not turn around, let alone go back.
We would like to thank President Tsai Ing-wen and her partners in the ruling team for their hard work over the past eight years, laying a solid foundation for Taiwan's reform and construction.
Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-Khim will redouble our efforts on this basis to make the country move forward steadily and let the people live a good life.
However, in the congressional election, the DPP did not maintain a majority of seats. This means that our efforts are not enough, and there is indeed something we need to humbly review.
The election results tell us that the people expect "a capable government" and "effective checks and balances." We fully understand and fully respect this new public opinion.
Facing the new parliamentary structure, Taiwan must move toward a politics of "communication, consultation, participation, and cooperation." I would like to express here:
First, I will conduct an in-depth study of the political opinions and propositions of the two opponents. As long as they benefit the country and the people and meet the needs of national development, I will incorporate them into my policy policies.
Second, regarding the future personnel layout, I will uphold the spirit of the Democratic Alliance, employ people based on their talents regardless of party affiliation, and welcome professionals from all walks of life to recommend and work together for national development.
Third, regarding future governance, we will give priority to issues on which all parties have consensus. There is no consensus or urgency yet, so let us shelve the dispute and continue communication.
Fourth, for major issues that need to be resolved urgently, such as the financial sustainability of labor insurance and health insurance, I will establish a policy communication platform to expand the basis of discussion, attract public participation, cross political party divides, and seek the greatest common denominator of society.
Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an important mission of my presidency. I will follow the constitutional system of the Republic of China, neither be humble nor arrogant, and maintain the status quo. On the premise of reciprocity and dignity, I will replace containment with exchanges and dialogue with confrontation. I will confidently carry out exchanges and cooperation with China to enhance the well-being of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and achieve peace and common prosperity. The goal. However, in the face of China's civil and military attacks, I am determined to protect Taiwan.
I would like to thank the people of Taiwan again for choosing Lai Xiaopei. We are deeply honored and we will do our best to live up to our trust.
The election is over, and all the conflict and passion in the campaign should be over. 23 million people are all one family. Let us continue to work together to unite and cooperate to push the country forward. thank you all.
News (14)
Ko Wenzhe: We have created a miracle
8:38pm
At the TPP rally, Ko thanked his supporters and asked them not to give up.
"We have created many miracles," he said at a People's Party rally in Taipei City's Xinzhuang District. "We don't have much time to grieve because Taiwan will continue to move forward, so we must continue to work hard. As long as you don't give up, neither will we have reason to give up.”
The party's rallies were packed with young supporters, many of whom looked crestfallen. Earlier, some of them were in tears.
"The sun will rise again tomorrow, let us continue to work hard. We only have one Taiwan." Ko Wenje said.
News (15)
The winning election results show that Lai Hsiao's winning bid exceeds 5.4 million
8:20pm
In Taiwan's general election, Lai Xiaopei received more than 5.4 million votes. (Screenshot from the live broadcast of the Central Election Commission)
News (16)
The Kuomintang congratulates DPP Lai Ching-te
Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih, who had earlier conceded, now thanked supporters at the rally and congratulated DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te.
"I hope all political parties can face up to Taiwan's challenges. We need a united Taiwan," he said.
"We have a lot of problems, and we need a government that can solve these problems, and we also need a government that can serve young people. The blue camp (KMT) will move forward, and we will be stronger...make a bigger leap forward. "
Lai Xiaopei arrives at the party headquarters and will holds an international press conference
Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-Khim arrive at the Central Party Headquarters of the Democratic Progressive Party and hold an international press conference at 8.30 pm and deliver a speech to supporters.
News (17)
Taiwan People's Party supporters' hopes dashed
Sentiment in Taiwan's People's Party weakened as the Democratic Progressive Party's lead widened.
More than half of Ke Wenzhe's supporters who attended the rally were under the age of 40. The host called on supporters who call themselves "little grass" not to give up because millions of votes have yet to be counted. But some supporters are already crying.
"Although we are behind, I don't think my vote is wasted," Lei Lei told the BBC. "I will wait for another four years and will not give up."
Hou Yu-ih announced his defeat: I let everyone down
Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih announced his defeat today. He bowed twice and said that he had worked hard personally and regretted that he could not complete the political party rotation. "I have let everyone down. I am here to express my deepest apologies. I'm sorry, I'm sorry to everyone." Supporters cheered. Shouting cheers and waving flags to show support.
News (18)
According to the results of the winning election meeting, Lai Xiaopei exceeded 5.1 million and Hou Kangpei exceeded 4.18 million
7:51pm
Image : In the Taiwan presidential election, as of 7.34 pm on 13 January 2024, Lai Xiaopei had received more than 4.5 million votes. (Screenshot from the live broadcast of the Central Election Commission)
According to statistics from the Central Election Commission's Central Election Center, as of 7.51 p.m., the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates Lai Qingde and Xiao Meiqin were leading with 5.1 million votes and a vote rate of 40.46%. Hou Kangpei of the Kuomintang ranked second with 4.2 million votes and a vote rate of 33.3%. Ke Yingpei of the Popular Party received more than 3.3 million votes, with a vote rate of 26.2%.
According to the results of the winning election meeting, Lai Xiaopei exceeded 4.5 million and Hou Kangpei exceeded 3.7 million.
Refs.: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/01/12/a103842709.html, https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/01/13/a103842987.html
News (19)
Beijing restaurant broadcasts Taiwan election, infecting mainlanders
Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor : Zhu Xinrui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/01/14/a103843204.html / Image : In the evening of 13 January 2024, a restaurant in Beijing broadcast the Taiwan election live on a large screen. Taiwanese people who came to dine to watch the election kept screaming. The tense and lively atmosphere of this democratic election also infected the mainland guests in the restaurant that pay attention to the Taiwan election. (Central News Agency)
In the evening of 13 January, a restaurant in Beijing broadcast the Taiwan election live on a large screen. Taiwanese people who came to dine and watch the election kept screaming. The tense and lively atmosphere of this democratic election also infected the mainland customers in the restaurant and started paying attention to the Taiwan election. Many mainlanders are very envious of Taiwan's democratic elections and consider them a model for China in the future.
Central News Agency reported that the Taiwan general election opened in the evening of the 13th. In a music restaurant with cross-strait elements in Wudaoying Hutong, Beijing, some young Taiwanese people who were unable to return to Taiwan to vote, but were concerned about the election, came to the restaurant after 4 pm to gather, while having dinner and watching the election.
When the large screen on the wall showed the voting status broadcast by Taiwan TV, the Taiwanese and mainland customers in the store involuntarily raised their heads and stared at the rapidly beating numbers of the three sets of votes for the presidential and vice presidential candidates. Some people exclaimed: "Why are the votes so tight?" "Why does he have so many votes?" "There is a big difference between the first and second place", etc.
Other mainland customers in the store were also infected by the lively and tense atmosphere of Taiwan's democratic elections. They asked about the political opinions and opinions of the three groups of candidates, as well as anecdotes about some of the legislative candidates of the three parties.
At 8.30 pm, Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party won and was elected as the new president. He thanked all Taiwanese people for choosing the right path of democracy.
This year's Taiwan election has attracted much attention because it is related to the future direction of cross-strait relations. The Chinese Communist Party has used a variety of means to try to interfere with Taiwan's election results. Many mainlanders are also paying attention to the election results.
Zhang Jianping, a mainland public welfare lawyer and human rights activist, told The Epoch Times, "Taiwan’s elections are a reflection of a normal and civilized society, and we are really touched by it. We greatly respect and envy the Taiwanese people's elections, and hope that the Taiwanese people can choose the right person and stick to it. No matter who they choose, we respect and envy them very much."
He said that Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in Asia. Although Taiwan has relatively few diplomatic allies, it has many visa-free countries, and so many parliamentarians from Western democratic countries go to Taiwan to check in. This shows that democratic Taiwan respects and protects human rights and is on the right path of human development. Moreover, Taiwan's economic figures are also very impressive. Compared with mainland China, the living standards of Taiwanese people are not at the same level at all. The salary of ordinary people in Taiwan is among the high-income earners in mainland China. There is no comparison between mainland China and Taiwan.
"Taiwanese people now live in an environment of universal democracy, while mainlanders are still being persecuted by the power of judicial officials and administrative officials. If there is no comparison, there will be no harm." Zhang Jianping said.
Mr. Tong, a retired public security officer from the mainland, said in an interview that this Taiwan election is very critical and important. If you choose the wrong people, you will choose the wrong future for Taiwan; if you choose the right people, Taiwan will have a bright future and avoid taking the path of Hong Kong. "Hong Kong is no longer the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but the city of Hong Kong under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. Many elites and people in Hong Kong have left Hong Kong."
He said that Taiwan is a model for China's future democratic elections, and Taiwan's electoral system can be moved to the mainland in the future. Once mainland China undergoes democratic transition, it needs a role model and a mature electoral system and procedures. Therefore, Taiwan must set a good example, set an example of democratic elections, and point the way to the mainland.
News (20)
Taiwan’s election: Something that amazes the whole world
Reprinted from The Epoch Times/Editor: Ye Ping / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/01/14/a103843210.html / Image : On 13 January 2024, the official vote counting for the presidential election in Taipei, Taiwan began, and election staff were counting votes. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)
The closely watched 2024 Taiwan general election attracted global attention on 13 January 2024, local time. In addition to the election results, there is another thing that caused a stir on social media, and that is the transparency of Taiwan's election vote counting process. People including U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy are amazed by Taiwan's electoral system.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate and technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy attached a video of Taiwan election vote counting to the social media platform X on 13 January. The teller read aloud who each vote was for and held the paper ballot high so that those watching could see the names on the ballot. At the same time, someone was recording it on the display board, and it was all public (click here to watch the video).
"This is what the Taiwanese do - complete transparency - different from us." Ramaswamy praised Lai Ching-te, an anti-communist and nationalist who won Taiwan's presidential election.
German "Der Spiegel" reporter Cornelius Dieckmann also praised Taiwan's transparency in voting on the X platform.
"Taiwan's democracy is working. Each ballot is held high by (the tellers) so that the public can see it," Dickman said. "The results on the ballots are shouted out and repeated by (the tellers). Shout, and then tally the statistics on a piece of paper (attached to a display board) that can be seen by the outside world.”
"Anyone can watch, take photos or video. When the ballot box is empty, staff will show the public that the ballot box is indeed empty."
Dickman also included another video of the vote (click here).
Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan and a political science expert, said, why is Taiwan’s electoral system so powerful? Transparency, you can’t hack paper ballots.
Han Lianchao, an expert on China issues and vice chairman of Citizen Power, said it is rigorous and fair and has won the general trust of all parties participating in the election and voters. It is worthwhile for the United States to learn from Taiwan to restore people's trust in elections and strengthen our democracy."
Cai Xia, a former professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that such election results are convincing.
Netizen Kathy Thomsen posted a picture of Taiwanese counting votes on the X platform and said, "Taiwan is a model of electoral transparency."
There are many more posts on social media platforms marveling at Taiwan’s electoral system. Some said, "Democracy requires transparency. Taiwan has done a good job and the West can learn from them."
Amy Hawkins, the British "Guardian" reporter in China, also posted a vote-calling video on the X platform (click here) and said, "I have long wanted to witness this with my own eyes!" She then also describes the voting process in Taiwan. She also said in another tweet, "Anyone can be an election observer!"
Taiwan’s elections require voters to vote in person at designated polling stations and use paper ballots. There are no other methods such as absentee voting, early voting, proxy voting or electronic voting in Taiwan. Ballots are counted by hand, and each ballot is displayed for public inspection before counting.
Bloomberg said that the reason why Taiwan does not accept absentee voting is to prevent the Chinese Communist Party’s potential interference in democratic elections.
The report quoted Margaret Lewis, a professor at Seton Hall University Law School, as saying that a system based on paper ballots is difficult to hack because the ballots are placed in the ballot box. The votes will be counted at the end of the day under public supervision.
Changing the current voting system could raise questions among some about the integrity of the election results. "The further Taiwan moves away from this simple (voting) system, the more likely it is to reduce people's trust in the election results," Lewis said.
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