Taiwan High Court orders sealing of election ballots

2004/3/22
TAIPEI, Taiwan, The China Post Staff

The Taiwan High Court yesterday ordered the sealing of all ballots at over 13,700 polling stations after thousands of supporters of presidential contender Lien Chan staged a sit-in to demand a recount in the island's closest presidential election in history.

President Chen Shui-bian was declared the winner with a slim 0.22 percent margin in Saturday's election, a day after he was shot and wounded.

With the support and pressure from his supporters, Lien, Kuomintang (KMT) chairman, swiftly called for a recount, saying that an unusual high number of more than 330,000 votes had been ruled invalid.

He also demanded answers to the many unanswered questions after Friday's mysterious shootings aimed at Chen and Vice President Annette Lu.

Violent protests erupted in several major cities when Lien supporters tried to force their way through police cordons and into local court offices and prosecutors' offices to demand an immediate recount.

A Taiwan High Court official said that all ballot boxes from polling stations in Taiwan and offshore islands would be sealed to preserve the evidence. He did not promise if a recount would be held, saying it is the decision up to the district courts in various regions.

"It will be difficult to have an immediate recount. A recount has to decided by a district court," the high court spokesman said.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) said all election matters will be handled with routine procedures until a final decision on recount is made.

According to the CEC plan, it will draft the election outcome and the winner's name before March 24.

After reviewing and verification at a plenary meeting, the CEC will formally make public the name of the election winner on March 26.

The official election victory certificate will be delivered to the winner before March 31.

Supporters of Lien's opposition "pan-blue" alliance said they will not quit protesting before concrete action for a recount is undertaken. They said it was not a fair election. They will not give up until justice is done and truth is found.

Leaders of the KMT and the People First Party urged international experts to help carry out objective verifications of the vote recount and the probe into the shootings.

Su Chi, former chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that even the U.S. government has not yet officially recognized the election results.

A spokesman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party criticized the opposition leaders for inciting the demonstrations.

He said that the "pan-blue" alliance should not assume that all of ballots ruled invalid were meant for Lien and his running mate James Soong.

Lien demands independent investigation of Chen shooting
2004/3/22
TAIPEI, Reuters
The opposition Kuomintang (KMT), narrowly defeated in presidential elections after an assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian won a strong sympathy vote, demanded yesterday an independent investigation into the shooting.

"Why don't we trust the government? Because there are too many things under a cloud of suspicion," KMT Chairman Lien Chan told thousands supporters demonstrating in front of the Presidential Office.

"The March 20 presidential election was an unfair election," Lien, who lost the vote by just 0.22 percent, told the cheering crowd.

Amid suspicions in the KMT camp that the shooting was staged, Lien demanded independent committees of local and foreign experts investigate the ballistics and the president's medical treatment.

Lien, who has filed a lawsuit demanding a recount that could nullify the election, asked for the establishment of a special committee of local dignitaries to monitor the vote counting.

"I hope that the government will give us a quick answer out of concern for people," he said. "I don't want to spend the night here."

Chen was gashed across the abdomen by a bullet when at least one unidentified assailant opened fire while he was campaigning from the back of an open-top jeep on Friday.

Analysts have said a sympathy vote after the assassination attempt was a major factor in his victory since opinion polls had shown him trailing the opposition by seven to eight points.

KMT lawyers have asked prosecutors to impound evidence such as the campaign jeep, bullets and casings found by the police and the president's clothing.

Police said they believed two assailants were involved and authorities offered a NT$13 million reward for information leading to their capture

'Pan-blue' in marathon protest

2004/3/22
Amber Wang, The China Post

Thousands of supporters of the opposition "pan-blue" camp yesterday staged a marathon protest outside the Presidential Office to demand a vote recount as well as a medical check-up to verify President Chen Shui-bian's gunshot wound.

The demonstration was an extension to Saturday's gathering outside the "pan-blue" campaign headquarters, during which Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Lien Chan demanded the election outcome be annulled and a recount of votes.

Lien and his running mate James Soong led some 1,000 supporters to the Presidential Office around 500 a.m. and staged a sit-in to protest against the "unfair election."

The protest continued into the afternoon with supporters gathering along the streets between the Presidential Office plaza and the KMT headquarters near the National Taiwan University Hospital.

"We are all here today because the presidential election yesterday was an unfair election," Lien told the crowd.

The KMT chairman reiterated his demands for a vote recount as well as a probe into the assassination attempt on Chen and Vice President Annette Lu.

He demanded two special task forces of medical and trajectory experts be formed to clarify the mystery on the Election Eve shooting, which was believed to have helped Chen secure a narrow re-election victory. Chen collected 6,471,970 votes, or 50.11 percent, and Lien 6,442,452 votes, or 49.89 percent.

Lien also urged an impartial committee be formed to monitor the vote recount to ensure a fair and transparent procedure "The government should face the problems and give everybody an answer so that we can all go home and rest," he said.

Soong stressed that Taiwan's democracy is at stake if the leader of the country claims the ruling power through "unfair means."

Some supporters held signs read "Recount Votes" while shouting the slogan and blowing air horns in protest.

"If Chen was indeed wounded by a bullet, he should receive a medical test to prove that to the public," said supporter Julie Chang, who joined the demonstration in the afternoon. "Otherwise I'll think he is faking it to collect votes."

In response, Cabinet spokesman Lin Chia-lung said the vote recount will be conducted in accordance with the law.

The crowd of supporters stayed outside the Presidential Office until late night, while police donning riot gear stood by.

Emotionally-charged "pan-blue" supporters refused to leave the scene past the 10:00 p.m. deadline for a rally and the police held warning signs three times in a bid to end the demonstration.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou made an appearance late last night, reassuring supporters that the candidates have legal rights to demand a recount of votes.

Ma did not directly ask protesters to go home but urged them to watch out for their health.