2008 Taiwanese presidential election
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 Ma Ying-jeou (blue) v. Frank Hsieh (green) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2008 Taiwanese presidential election | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 中華民國第十二任總統副總統選舉 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中华民国第十二任总统副总统选举 | ||||||
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The election for the 12th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China was held in the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Saturday, March 22, 2008.[1] Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou won, with 58% of the vote, ending 8 years of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rule.
This was the fourth direct election for the President of the Republic of China. The two candidates were DPP candidate Frank Hsieh and Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou. The KMT ticket was officially formed as of June 23, 2007, with Ma announcing his choice for running mate to be former premier Vincent Siew. The DPP ticket was announced in August, 2007, with Frank Hsieh selecting former Premier Su Tseng-chang. Unlike the 2004 presidential election, the political rhetoric of the campaigns tended to focus on economic issues and government corruption rather than national identity and the political status of Taiwan, with both candidates endorsing the status quo in the near term.[2]. But much like previous elections, this election was also marked with island-wide mass rallies and much political mudslinging.
The KMT ticket received the largest percentage and number of votes in the history of Taiwan. The election occurred as incumbent President Chen Shui-bian's popularity remained at record lows following mass rallies in September 2006 urging him to resign amid implications of corruption. Amid general economic malaise, as unemployment had risen under Chen's presidency and Taiwan's overall GDP was surpassed by that of South Korea, Ma won on a platform of economic revitalization and a promise to improve cross-straits relations, in contrast to Chen's confrontational style, as "a peacemaker not a troublemaker".[3]. The election occurred in the wake of the KMT's landslide victory in the 2008 legislative elections in which the Pan-Blue Coalition won a three-quarters majority in the Legislative Yuan. On the same day two consultative referenda on joining the United Nations, the first heralded by President Chen and the second proposed by the KMT in response (even though the KMT urged voters to boycott both), failed due to low turnout.
Presidential nominees
Candidates were to register with their respective parties March 5-9, 2007, for a primary election. Selection of candidates for President in the Republic of China, unlike most other nations, were weighed. The actual primary election results accounted for 30% of the final outcome while public opinion polls accounted for the other 70%. Final tallies were announced May 30, 2007.[4]
Democratic Progressive Party
Leading candidates for the Democratic Progressive Party "Four Heavenly Kings" (a less literal translation in English that perhaps gives the meaning more clearly is the "Four Heavyweights") sans incumbent President Chen Shui-bian (who was barred from running due to term limits)—Frank Hsieh, Su Tseng-chang, and Yu Shyi-kun—and incumbent vice president Annette Lu. All three of the men had served as premier under Chen Shui-bian and as DPP chairman during part of the Chen presidency. In addition, Hsieh has been a popular mayor of Kaohsiung, Su has been county magistrate of Taipei County and Pingtung County, and Yu served as Secretary-General in the Office of the President.
On May 6, 2007, the DPP primaries took place in all 24 cities and counties in Taiwan. There were 254,963 eligible voters, with voter turnout at 56.06%.[5]. Former premier Frank Hsieh emerged as the winner of the DPP primaries, winning 17 of 24 cities and counties with 62,849 votes, about 44% of the votes cast.[6] Despite the fact that the primary results only account for 30% of the final outcome in determining the nominee, fellow DPP candidates Su, who got 46,994 votes; Yu, with 22,211 votes; and Lu with 8,666 votes, endorsed Hsieh before the second stage primary, based on opinion polls, was held, causing the DPP to cancel the second stage primary.[7].
The junior partner in the Taiwan Solidarity Union neither fielded nor endorsed a candidate. TSU Chairman Shu Chin-Chiang seemingly endorsed Ma on September 19, 2007 when he referred to Ma as "our President-to-be." At the same time, several TSU legislators stated that they would support DPP candidate Frank Hsieh.[8] In December, Lee Teng-hui, considered the "spiritual leader" of the TSU, rescinded his support of Chen in 2004, and urged citizens against voting for the DPP in upcoming legislative elections. While Lee openly denounced supporting the ruling DPP party, he stopped short of endorsing any party or candidate and waited until March 20, 2008 (two days before the election) to endorse Hsieh.[9]
Kuomintang
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Following the KMT's defeat in 2004 and before the 2005 KMT chairman election, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng were both considered leading candidates for the nomination. Ma's landslide victory over Wang in the 2005 KMT chairman election immediately made him the frontrunner. His position was furthered bolstered by the KMT's victories in the 2005 3-in-1 local elections. Ma Ying-jeou has began his campaign before his announcement for candidacy, taking trips Europe and Japan in 2006, nominally to obtain business deals for Taipei, but covered widely by the media for his foreign policy remarks. He met with numerous politicians in Washington, DC, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick. Significantly, Ma Ying-jeou became the first head of a pan-Blue coalition party to state that declaring de jure Taiwanese independence was a legitimate choice of the Taiwanese people, though he qualified it saying that this was not a position of the KMT, after receiving much criticism from pan-Blue politicians. He also stated that Taiwan should form a common market with mainland China and establish direct transportation links.
On February 13, 2007 Ma was indicted for misuse of official funds as Taipei Mayor and announced his candidacy as he resigned the KMT chairmanship. He was formally nominated as the KMT candidate in May 2, 2007. Wang did not run against Ma and Ma was virtually unopposed. Final approval of the nomination was passed by the KMT congress in June.[10]. Wang was an early frontrunner to be Ma's running-mate but declined the position absent of assurances from Ma of what responsibilities he would hold as vice president. Other leading candidates were Wu Tun-yi, incumbent KMT general secretary; Jason Lin, CEO of Uni-President Group; and Tsai Ing-wen, a DPP member and former vice-premier.[11]On June 23, 2007, Ma officially announced former premier and former vice-presidential candidate (in 2000) Vincent Siew as his running mate, praising Siew's economic experience and declaring the economy to be the central focus of his campaign.[12]
Neither the New Party nor the People First Party, junior partners of the KMT in the "Pan-Blue Coalition," fielded a candidate and endorsed the KMT ticket. PFP Chairman James Soong appeared at KMT headquarters once Ma's victory became apparent and pledged to dissolve the PFP to join the KMT.
Issues
Status of Taiwan
As is common with Taiwanese elections, an important issue in the election was the future of the political status of Taiwan and maintaining good cross-straits relations. In general, the DPP favors Taiwan independence; the KMT on the other hand, is willing to accept the one-China principle and believes that Taiwan will eventually unify with mainland China; however the KMT still regards ROC as the sole legitimate government of China. The KMT's main objective is to establish a closer economic relationship with mainland China. Unlike the DPP, it is much more flexible in terms of diplomatic rhetoric. It was widely recognized that no candidate could win without supporting the status quo of de facto autonomy and ambiguous legal status (as they did in 2004) in order to attract centrist voters. Also, in 2004, both mainstream candidates recognized eventual unification and independence as a possible option as a means to attract the center. The strategy of both sides, as was the case in 2004, was to persuade voters that it can best maintain the status quo and protect Taiwan from an invasion by the People's Republic of China.
While the smaller, more radical TSU favors immediate moves to rename the country as Republic of Taiwan, the much more mainstream DPP under Chen Shui-bian has taken a more moderate position regarding independence. At the same time the Chen administration has moved to promote a separate Taiwanese identity and give official recognition to Taiwan's de facto independence from the mainland such as by equating Taiwan with the Republic of China. The front-runners for the DPP nomination are all considered moderates like Chen Shui-bian.
The KMT party line is against one country, two systems, but is supporting dialogue with the Communist Party of China under the "1992 Consensus" which presumes one China, different interpretations. During the campaign, Ma articulated a three noes policy, no independence, no unification, no use of force. He has also stated that during his first term of office, he will not discuss unification, make no changes to the ROC constitution, and will not personally meet Hu Jintao.
The DPP, in contrast, opposes recognizing One China (a prerequisite set by the PRC for negotiations), and no talks have occurred under the Chen administration. The DPP also denies that there ever was a consensus in 1992. The KMT also supports immediately opening up the three links with mainland China. The DPP has been reluctant to implement this, with additional difficulty coming from the PRC's refusal to negotiate unless the Taiwanese counterparty accepts the one-China principle under the 1992 consensus.
Constitutional reform
President Chen Shui-bian had pledged in his second inaugural address to draft a new constitution by 2006 to take effect upon the inauguration of the 12th-term president in 2008. This is opposed by the Pan-Blue Coalition, which seeks only changes through amendments to the existing document. A constitutional reform package was passed in 2005 with cross-party support, while the "Constitutional Reform Committee" proposed by President Chen to draft the new Constitution has never been formed. It appears, that with Pan-Blue controlling the Legislative Yuan until at least 2012 (commanding a 72% majority beginning February 2008, following the 2008 legislative election) and few actions being taken by the president for drafting a new Constitution, there will be no new Constitution for 2008.
Allegations of misuse of funds
The investigations into alleged misuse of funds by members of both the KMT and DPP is another hot topic: Ma Ying-Jeou was indicted on charges of misusing his Mayoral funds, and the First Lady has been indicted for embezzling from a national account (President Chen is immune from any charges as the law gives a sitting president immunity). DPP candidate Frank Hsieh is under investigation for similar charges as Ma in irregularity and misuse of funds while he served as mayor of Kaohsiung. However, different from Ma, Frank Hsieh has stated that if he is found guilty in his Mayoral funds case, he will not continue running as a candidate for president. Ma has maintained his innocence and has stated that he will not give up his run for presidency even if found guilty. Ma, on August 12, 2007, was found not guilty on his special funds case, clearing his name of corruption charges.[13]
Use of the "Taiwan" name
Recently, some state-controlled and state-owned firms have restored or added "Taiwan" to their names, such as renaming Chunghwa Post to Taiwan Post, the name it bore into the ROC period of rule on Taiwan; and Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, its originally planned name. The naming controversy of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the legality of the Central Government's name-change order is another topic of heated debate. Conservative observers tend to view the name changes as signs of reactionary desinicization carried out by President Chen to appease his base supporters, while others view the name changing as signs of Taiwan localization movement carving an identity for Taiwan's name. The issue is, like most others, split strongly between Pan-Blue and Pan-Green supporters.
President-Elect Ma Ying-jeou has pledged that he will revert the name changes of national landmarks, government organizations, and government-owned corporations conducted by the Chen Shui-bian administration. The Pan-Blue generally considered these name changes to be illegal. Examples of landmarks and organizations that were renamed include Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Chinese Petroleum Company, China Shipbuilding Corporation, and Chunghwa Post.
The Economy
Since selecting Vincent Siew as his running mate, Ma Ying-jeou has announced that the focus of his election campaign is the recovery of Taiwanese economy. He has said that the independence—reunification debate is a "fake issue" with no bearing on the general welfare of the Taiwanese people. He also labeled Siew as the would-be "chief architect" to revive the economy, because of Siew's solid economic background.
Ma proposes a single market with China; Hsieh said this would lead to job losses and importation of dangerous Chinese products.
Green Card issue
A recent issue that has been brought into the presidential campaign is the questioning of Ma Ying-jeou's loyalty to the Republic of China and to the people of Taiwan by his opponent Frank Hsieh and the Democratic Progressive Party legislators.[14][15] Hsieh stated that Ma would not have become former President Chiang Ching-kuo's English secretary in 1977 if Chiang had known that Ma was in possession of a green card and his status as a US permanent resident.[15]
Chiang instructed public servants not to keep a foot in both camps. Public servants working under him were not allowed to have green cards,
— Frank Hsieh "DPP continues attack on Ma Ying-jeou: Green With Envy?" Taipei Times (Thursday, January 31, 2008)[15]
Ma Ying-Jeou at first denied that he has a green card, however, he later admitted that he once possessed one.[16] He also stated that he had not violated any law by possessing a US green card and that he never intended to hide the fact he was once a US permanent resident. He also maintained that possession of a green card, as well as have the status as a US permanent resident was not against any government regulations at the time.[14] Ma also stated that he believed that his green card was automatically invalid when he applied for a US visa at the American Institute in Taiwan in 1985.[15] Hsieh's questioning of Ma Ying-jeou's loyalty to the Republic of China and to the people of Taiwan continued when he stated that several of Ma's family members carried US passports and citizenship, including Ma's US born daughter.[15] Ma's response was that
[My family members] have US passports, but they love Taiwan very much. Obtaining a green card has nothing to do with the issue of loyalty. It is only a way to live or travel in the US
— Ma Ying-jeou "DPP continues attack on Ma Ying-jeou: Green With Envy?" Taipei Times (Thursday, January 31, 2008)[15]
Two TVBS political opinion poll conducted after Hsieh released his statement showed a slight dip in Ma Ying-jeou's support, but was well within the margin of error.[14][17]
Hsieh office incident
Four pan-blue legislators entered the Hsieh election headquarters without permission, on the pretext that they were there to investigate the claim that the government provided them office space for free. Hsieh's supporters surrounded them and fighting broke out. The pan-green called it an illegal search and said the pan-blue camp will carry out further similar actions if they controlled both the executive and legislature.
The legislators were labeled the "Four Idiots"(四個笨蛋) by the media and suspended from the party. Ma apologized for their actions on six separate occasions.
It is illegal to publish opinion polls in the ten days leading up to the election, but gambling syndicates changed their offering to "Ma wins by 200,000 votes" bets, down from "Ma wins by 500,000 votes" bets before the incident.
Chuang Guo-rong's Profanity Incident
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 | This article possibly contains original research. (March 2008) |
On March 16, 2008, standing for DPP candidate Frank Hsieh at a rally in Taichung, Chuang Kuo-rong, a deputy secretary for the Department of Education, called Ma Ying-jeou a "chicken" and further insulted his father and family. He mentioned a recent discovery by a magazine investigation that Ma's father was proven to have slept with his foster daughter in the past. This drew the wrath of the Taiwanese public. With more investigations by Taiwanese broadcasting channels, the claims were deemed fake. DPP officials felt that the wording used by Chuang was insulting and inappropriate, and therefore, publicly apologized for Chuang's uncalled for and profane remarks. His speech was ridden with distaste and foul language deemed inappropriate for broadcast television, and had to be censored by NCC. Chuang initially resigned from his post as secretary of the Ministry of Education without an apology. Minister Tu accepted the resignations, after reservations. The next day, Chuang issued a formal apology through media.
Meanwhile, Chuang may have jeopardized his teaching position at the National Chengchi University, as a discussion panel consisting of NCCU students, faculty, and alumni will decide whether to keep him or sack him in the days following the 322 elections.
Impact of unrest in Tibet
In mid-March, 2008, a series of riots occurred in Tibetan areas of mainland China. This, and the subsequent response of the Beijing authorities had repercussions in the lead-up to the Taiwan election. A series of public prayers, organised by Buddhist leaders, were held in Taiwan. Frank Hsieh attended the event in person, and Ma Ying-Jeou sent representatives to attend the event. The next day, Ma Ying-Jeou was attacked by the pan-Green and pro-Tibetan camps for not having a solid stance for supporting the Tibetan independence movement.
Ma Ying-jeou was initially quoted as saying that "[i]t is still unknown who is responsible for the bloodshed in Tibet, the Chinese government or the Tibetans."[citation needed] After media furore built up over the comments, Ma Ying-Jeou retracted his earlier statements. He made further statements, going further than Frank Hsieh in criticizing the mainland government. He stated that if violence in Tibet continues, he could not rule out a Taiwanese boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Frank Hsieh refused to make the same commitment, and accused Ma of jeopardizing the hopes of the Chinese Taipei team.
Tens of thousands of Taiwanese waved banners and shouted political slogans March 16, 2008, as the island's rival parties rallied support ahead of the March 22, 2008 presidential elections, with the March 2008 violence in Tibet in the background and Taiwan's own relations with the Chinese mainland on the front burner. The Taiwan-wide events were meant to energize supporters in the home stretch of a race that has so far lacked the passion and commitment of presidential elections in 2000 and 2004.[18]
Opinion polling
Opinion polls were held by various news agencies and organizations in Taiwan during the election campaign. The last of such polls was taken on March 11 because, according to ROC law, opinion polls could not be taken within ten days of the election.
| Polling Firm | Date | Source | Ma-Siew (KMT) |
Hsieh-Su (DPP) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVBS | 11 March 2008 | 54 | 29 | 17 | |
| TVBS | 10 March 2008 | 53 | 29 | 18 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 10 March 2008 | HTML | 61.7 | 38.3 | -- |
| China Times | 9 March 2008 After the second debate |
HTML 1 2 | 48.9 | 21.8 | 29.3 |
| United Daily News | HTML | 52 | 22 | 26 | |
| TVBS | 50 | 31 | 19 | ||
| South News | HTML | 41 | 38 | 21 | |
| United Daily News | March 5-9 2008 Before the second debate |
HTML | 49 | 21 | 30 |
| TVBS | 7 March 2008 | 54 | 28 | 18 | |
| Apple Daily | HTML | 41.3 | 19.8 | 38.9 | |
| China Times | 5 March 2008 | HTML 1 2 | 52.7 | 21.1 | 26.2 |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 3 March 2008 | 61.8 | 38.2 | -- | |
| United Daily News | 29 February 2008 | HTML | 55 | 18 | 27 |
| TVBS | 54 | 30 | 16 | ||
| China Times | 24 February 2008 After the first debate |
HTML | 48.6 | 22.7 | 28.7 |
| United Daily News | HTML | 49 | 21 | 30 | |
| TVBS | 49 | 29 | 22 | ||
| TVBS | 22 February 2008 | 53 | 31 | 17 | |
| China Times | 21 February 2008 | HTML | 47 | 22 | 31 |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 20 February 2008 | 63.3 | 36.7 | -- | |
| TVBS | 15 February 2008 | 53 | 29 | 19 | |
| United Daily News | 14 February 2008 Spy incident |
HTML | 56 | 18 | 26 |
| Apple Daily | 13 February 2008 | HTML | 36.3 | 19.5 | 44.2 |
| TVBS | 31 January 2008 | 56 | 30 | 14 | |
| TVBS | 29 January 2008 Green card incident |
53 | 26 | 21 | |
| United Daily News | 26 January 2008 Before the official registration of candidacy |
HTML | 54 | 23 | 23 |
| China Times | 25 January 2008 | HTML | 46.0 | 23.2 | 30.8 |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 18 January 2008 | HTML 1 2 | 62.3 | 37.7 | -- |
| China Times via United Daily News | 16 January 2008 | HTML | 52.8 | 20.8 | 26.4 |
| TVBS | 15 January 2008 | 56 | 26 | 18 | |
| United Daily News | 13 January 2008 After the legislative election |
HTML | 60 | 18 | 22 |
| China Times | HTML | 51.4 | 19.9 | 28.7 | |
| China Times via United Daily News | 9 January 2008 | HTML | 48.3 | 25.1 | 26.6 |
| China Times via United Daily News | 3 January 2008 | HTML | 47.5 | 22.5 | 30 |
| United Daily News | 28 December 2007 After Ma is cleared of corruption charges |
HTML | 52 | 23 | 25 |
| China Times via United Daily News | HTML | 45.3 | 24.2 | 30.5 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 19 December 2007 | 60.8 | 39.2 | -- | |
| China Times via United Daily News | 20 November 2007 | HTML | 37.1 | 21.4 | 41.5 |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 19 November 2007 | HTML | 58.6 | 41.4 | -- |
| China Times via United Daily News | 16 November 2007 | HTML | 36.9 | 22.1 | 41 |
| China Times via United Daily News | 8 November 2007 | HTML | 35.7 | 24.9 | 39.4 |
| United Daily News | 24 October 2007 | HTML | 50 | 25 | 25 |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 18 October 2007 | HTML | 59.4 | 40.6 | -- |
| United Daily News | 22 September 2007 After Hsieh and Su not indicted in their discretionary funds cases |
HTML | 51 | 27 | 22 |
| TVBS | 19 September 2007 | 53 | 30 | 17 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 20 September 2007 | 60.9 | 39.1 | -- | |
| TVBS | 28 August 2007 | 54 | 32 | 14 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | 21 August 2007 | 61.6 | 38.4 | -- | |
| TVBS | 15 August 2007 | 51 | 30 | 19 | |
| Era News via United Daily News | 14 August 2007 After Ma is cleared of corruption charges |
HTML | 45.5 | 21.8 | 32.7 |
| United Daily News | HTML | 52 | 22 | 26 | |
| China Times via United Daily News | HTML | 37.0 | 25.2 | 37.8 | |
| United Daily News | 13 August 2007 After announcement of the Hsieh-Su ticket's formation |
HTML | 40 | 27 | 33 |
| Kuomintang | 9 August 2007 | HTML | 58.2 | 41.8 | -- |
| TVBS | 2 August 2007 | 47 | 28 | 25 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | July 2007 | 62.3 | 37.7 | -- | |
| TVBS | 11 July 2007 | 49 | 25 | 26 | |
| China Times | 24 June 2007 After announcement of the Ma-Siew ticket's formation |
HTML | 40 | 20 | 40 |
| United Daily News | HTML | 50 | 23 | 27 | |
| TVBS | 51 | 27 | 22 | ||
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | June 2007 | 56.6 | 43.4 | -- | |
| United Daily News | 4 June, 2007 | HTML | 58 | 17 | 25 |
| TVBS | 22 May 2007 | 50 | 25 | 25 | |
| Global Views (遠見雜誌)† | May 2007 | HTML | 57.3 | 42.7 | -- |
| China Times | May 2007 | HTML | 33 | 24 | 43 |
| United Daily News | 6 May, 2007 | HTML | 43 | 28 | 29 |
| TVBS | 4 May 2007 | DOC | 50 | 29 | 21 |
| United Daily News | 29 April, 2007 | HTML | 52 | 21 | 27 |
| TVBS | 29 January 2007 | 60 | 20 | 20 |
Note: It is important to note that in terms of political orientation, TVBS, United Daily News, and China Times are considered Pan-Blue and pro-unification,[19][20] while sources such as South News are considered Pan-Green and pro-independence.[citation needed]
Republic of China law also prohibits the publishing of any new opinion polling data in the last ten days leading up to the election.
† Numbers published by Global Views are calculated from a campaign indicator model.
Mechanics
The election was by direct popular vote; a simple plurality was required to win. According to the Constitution of the Republic of China, all citizens of the Republic of China of at least 20 years of age who have held household registration in the "Free Area of the Republic of China" (Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, etc.) were eligible to vote. Under existing law, all voters travelled to their registered precincts to vote.[21] Ballots were counted by hand at the precincts and the KMT declared victory less than three hours after the close of polls at 4:00 pm.
Because of KMT strategy of having people boycott the referendum, one major controversy, like in 2004 was the format of the polling, specifically as whether the referendum questions would be on the same or different ballots as the Presidency. While in 2004 the CEC allowed U shaped line in which people would first cast a ballot for President and then cast a separate ballot for each of the two questions, the CEC forced voters to cast all votes at once on seperate ballots. Voters who choose not to cast a referendum ballot simply declined to pick up the extra two ballots.
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Vice president | ||||
| File:White sun, blue sky.svg Kuomintang | Ma Ying-Jeou | Vincent Siew | 7,658,724 | 58.45% | |
| File:DPP Logo.svg Democratic Progressive Party | Frank Hsieh | Su Tseng-Chang | 5,445,239 | 41.55% | |
| Total | 13,103,963 | 100.00% | |||
Polls closed at 16:00 local time (UTC+8) on March 22, 2008. The end result, with all 14,401 precincts reporting, shows a landslide victory for the KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou over the DPP candidate Frank Hsieh, with 7,658,724 votes, 58.45% of the popular vote for Ma against 5,445,239 votes, 41.55% for Hsieh. Turnout was 76.33%, with 13.2 million votes from 17.3 million eligible voters.[22] The CEC has released the final results with 100% of precincts reporting. Taiwan voters overwhelmingly elected Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou to be president, and the primary concern may be more economic than political: One local media commentator quoted Bill Clinton's famous slogan, "It's the economy, stupid", as an explanation of the landslide victory for Ma.[23] There is also a sizeable number of Taiwanese who would prefer maintaining the status quo, a position favoured by Ma when he proclaimed that he would "not push for Taiwan independence or reunification with China if elected"[24].
Results by county
| Candidate | % of Popular Vote by County | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50.0 - 59.9% | 60.0 - 69.9% | 70.0 - 79.9% | 80.0 - 100.0% | |
| File:White sun, blue sky.svg Ma Ying-jeou | ||||
| File:DPP Logo.svg Frank Hsieh | ||||
Reactions
Domestic reactions
In various KMT headquarters throughout Taiwan, celebrations of the party's landslide victory took place. The largest event was located at the Main KMT Headquarters in Taipei. Former Chairman Lien Chan, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, Chairman Wu Po-hsiung were presented and celebrated with the large crowd. At 7:30 pm, Presidential-elect Ma Ying-jeou came out and spoke about what is expected of his new government when it begins office on May 20 2008.[citation needed]
Many DPP supporters were very disappointed with the results of the election. Various DPP members went on stage at the Central Headquarters in Taipei and apologised to the Taiwanese people. Runner-up Presidential candidate Frank Hsieh spoke about how even though they have lost the elections, they still have a job to do: to preserve democracy in Taiwan. They ended the day by bowing down to the crowd.[citation needed]
After a press conference on March 23 where Ma stated that he will work to open up the Three Links and improve cross-strait relations, Taiwan's stock market saw a large rise. The accumulated index jumped 524 points to 9049. 1100 listed companies saw their share prices rice. Of these, financial stocks all rose to trading limit levels, with transportation companies, speculated to benefit from improved relations with mainland China, also quickly reaching price rise limits. Other sectors that saw strong rises include large conglomerates, real property, electronics and technology.[25]
PRC reactions
Consistently with its silence before the election, the PRC government refrained from commenting directly on the election results. Also consistently with its behaviour before the election, the Taiwan Affairs Bureau of the State Council of the People's Republic of China commented on the failure of the two United Nations-related referenda held concurrently with the election, stating that the results showed the lack of popular support for independence in Taiwan. The Bureau also expressed optimism for the two governments to work together to maintain cross-strait peace and aid development in future.[26] It is speculated that the mainland government would be pleased with the result.[27]
While also refraining from commenting directly on the results, the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China prominently displayed the election results, including the photos and brief biographies of the winning candidates, on its website.[28] This, speculated Hong Kong's Ming Pao, showed signs of positive interaction between the two governments in future. [29]
International reactions
Singapore was the first country to send official congratulatory messages about the election results[30]. It has since been the only country to do so together with the United States. China has thus far not responded to these messages.
Singapore: Known to have good relations with both Taiwan and the People's Republic of China, the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to congratulate Dr Ma Ying-jeou on his election[31], saying "As a long-standing friend of Taiwan, Singapore will continue to maintain good relations with Taiwan based on our 'One China' policy.' We look forward to better cross-strait relations."[32]
United States: President George W. Bush congratulated Ma Ying-jeou on his election victory, saying the United States will "continue to maintain close unofficial ties with the people on Taiwan through the American Institute in Taiwan in accordance with our long standing one China policy, our three Joint Communiqués with the People's Republic of China, and the Taiwan Relations Act."[33]
Most other countries chose to issue general statements without specifically congratulating anyone:
Japan: Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura says that "Japan hopes that the issue surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully by direct dialogue between the parties concerned on the Taiwan Straits and that dialogue will resume soon for that purpose", while avoiding to evaluate the election results directly. He further stressed that Japan "intends to maintain Japan-Taiwan relations as a working relationship on a non-governmental basis"[34].
United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary David Miliband issued a statement on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website saying "The successful Presidential elections in Taiwan today are testament to Taiwan's vibrant democracy. The forthcoming change of administration is a real opportunity to renew efforts to improve cross-Strait relations. I hope that the Chinese Government and the new administration will now engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and find a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question, acceptable to the populations on both sides of the Straits."[35]
References
- ^ http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT1/3918552.shtml]
- ^ Taiwanese hope of new China chapter
- ^ The Nationalists are back in Taiwan
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070216/wl_asia_afp/taiwanpoliticsdpp_070216154834
- ^ http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/05/07/2003359809
- ^ Adams, Jonathan "Taiwan's 'superstars' to battle it out" Asia Times, Jan 9, 2007
- ^ "Frank Hsieh Confirmed as DPP Standard Bearer", The China Post May 8, 2007
- ^ 等扁點頭 謝暫緩中部行程, Liberty Times, 10/5/07
- ^ "Taiwan Ex-President Lee Severs Ties With President Chen - AFP"
- ^ BBC News (2007-05-02): Taiwan opposition picks candidate
- ^ 創意組合 蔡英文會是馬英九的副手搭檔嗎？ - China Times
- ^ "Ma said to pick Siew for 2008 race". The China Post. 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help) - ^ http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT3/3970019.shtml
- ^ a b c Ma 'never intended' to hide green card — China Post (Thursday, January 31, 2008)
- ^ a b c d e f DPP continues attack on Ma Ying-jeou: Green With Envy? — Taipei Times (Thursday, January 31, 2008)
- ^ http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/02/16/2003401481 Taipei Times (Saturday, February 16, 2008)]
- ^ TVBS political opinion released on January 31, 2008
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/taiwan.election.rally.ap/index.html]
- ^ Mo Yan-chih `U paper' accused of being campaign tool, Taipei Times, 4/25/2007
- ^ Lee Shuyu "Taiwan: What's in a Name?", World Press Review, 2003
- ^ Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, § 2: "Citizens of the free area of the Republic of China residing abroad may return to the ROC to exercise their electoral rights and this shall be stipulated by law." Absentee ballots were not legally available.
- ^ http://vote2008-3.nat.gov.tw/zh-tw/T1/s00000000000.html
- ^ Phoenix TV, March 22 2008
- ^ http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Asia/STIStory_219544.html
- ^ 總統大選慶祝行情 台股噴出越過9000點 (Post-presidential election celebratory market conditions; Taiwan stocks shoot up past 9000 points)
- ^ 国台办发言人:搞"台独"不得人心 期盼为两岸和平发展共同努力 (Spokesperson for Taiwan Affairs Bureau: Taiwan independence fails to win popularity; hopes to work together towards peaceful development of both sides of the Taiwan Strait)
- ^ http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/presidential%20election/2008/03/22/148403/China-likely.htm
- ^ 台湾地区领导人选举结束 马英九、萧万长获胜 (Taiwan area leader election concludes; Ma Ying-jeou, Vincent Siew victorious)
- ^ 港評：兩岸經貿關係將進入雙贏時代 (Hong Kong commentary: cross-strait economic relations to enter mutually beneficial era]
- ^ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/193997,taiwan-awaits-change-as-pro-china-opposition-party-wins--feature.html
- ^ http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/336620/1/.html
- ^ http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_219547.html
- ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080322-4.html
- ^ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Japan_renews_calls_for_dialogue_between_China_Taiwan/articleshow/2890340.cms
- ^ http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1203952585874
External links
- governmental website for press/media information on the Republic of China presidential election, 2008 with useful press kit
- governmental website for news related to the Republic of China presidential election, 2008
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 Taiwan portal |
