The counting of votes began this Saturday, January 13, in Taiwan as part of the legislative and presidential elections that China presents as a choice between war and peace and which are taking place against the backdrop of increasing pressure from Beijing for the island submits to his sovereignty.
Polling stations closed at 4:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) and manual counting began shortly afterwards. The result of the presidential election is expected to be announced on Saturday evening after this single majority vote, against which three candidates competed. Taiwan has been an example of democratic success since it held its first direct presidential election in 1996, the culmination of a decades-long struggle against authoritarian rule and martial law.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which defends Taiwan's independent identity and rejects China's territorial claims, is seeking a third term. Their candidate is Taiwan's vice president, Lai Ching-te. Speaking to reporters in the southern city of Tainan ahead of the vote, Lai Ching-te urged citizens to turn out in large numbers. “Every vote matters because this is Taiwan’s hard-won democracy,” he said.
During the election campaign, China portrayed Lai Ching-te as a dangerous separatist and rejected the candidate's calls for dialogue. Lai Ching-te promised to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and expand the island's defenses. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Saturday morning that it had again spotted Chinese balloons crossing the strait, with one even flying over Taiwan.
When several balloons were reported over the strait last month, the ministry said it was psychological warfare and a threat to aviation safety. “Nobody wants war,” said 36-year-old businesswoman Jennifer Lu, playing in a lawn with her daughter after visiting a morning polling station in Taipei's Songshan County in sunny weather.
Results difficult to predict
With Lai Ching-te, two rivals are competing for the post of president: on the one hand, Hou Yu-ih from the Kuomintang (KMT), the largest opposition party for rapprochement with China, and on the other hand, the former Mayor of Taipei, Ko Wen-je, from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), founded in 2019.
China claims Taiwan as one of its provinces. Hou Yu-ih wants to renew ties with China by beginning exchanges between the two peoples and, like Beijing, has accused Lai Ching-te of supporting formal independence for Taiwan. Lai Ching-te claims that Hou Yu-ih is pro-Beijing, which he rejects.
As for Ko Wen-je, who gained support from young voters in particular after a campaign that focused particularly on high housing costs, he also wants to reconnect with China but insists this will not be to the detriment of democracy and the Taiwanese lifestyle can happen. After a vote at a high school in Taipei, Ko Wen-je told the press he was “calm” and slept well the night before the vote.
In addition to the presidential election, Taiwanese must also vote for the legislative election, an equally important election, especially if no party gets a majority, which could affect the new president's ability to pass laws and spend, especially on defense matters.
“Compared to previous elections, the outcome of this election is very difficult to predict,” Liao Jeng-wen, 44, a finance worker, said after voting early Saturday. “Taiwan's next leader should think about ways to get along peacefully with China… Many Taiwanese think we should maintain the status quo,” he added. The constitution prohibits outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen from running again after two terms at the helm of the country.