Taiwanese President Agrees To Recount

[CShine]

President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan agreed Tuesday morning to a recount of his disputed victory by a razor-thin margin in the presidential elections on Saturday, giving in to pressure from street demonstrations and the United States.

President Chen said he would instruct lawmakers from his Democratic Progressive Party to vote with lawmakers from the opposition Nationalist Party to pass a special law making the recount possible. The government said a recount could start as soon as Thursday, but could then last for days because considerable work would be involved in recounting and verifying more than 13 million ballots.

Taiwanese law normally makes it very difficult to hold a recount. Even the closest of elections — President Chen defeated the Nationalist candidate, Lien Chan, in the initial count on Saturday by just two-tenths of one percent — do not automatically qualify for a recount.

Hundreds, and at times thousands, of Nationalist supporters have been occupying the boulevard in front of the Presidential Office since Saturday night. But a greater source of pressure on the government was the conspicuous silence of the United States in acknowledging Mr. Chen as the winner of a second four-year term.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/international/asia/23TAIW.html?hp

[whirlygigspin]

1. yes,but...

now, they are fighting about what law to use, the old one or a new one...stay tuned!

[SoCalDem]

3. THAT was one of Bush's most strident points..

The LAW in EFFECT.. I remember them screeching about "Florida court wanting to CHANGE the law.. and NOW they want Taiwan to change the law.. :( what a bunch of hypocrites..

[Blayde Starrfyre]

2. Ironic

Isn't Bush telling someone to hold a fair recount like Prescott Bush telling someone not to do business with the Nazis?

[dArKeR]

4. NO kidding. What kind of example of Democracy is America?

Election 2000? 500 votes different in FL. 30,000 different in Taiwan. Chen should not recount. The system between America and Taiwan is a billion times different. Taiwan is much more open. I should say, 100% open to the public to view entire voting/counting process. Nothing like the cheating behind closed doors as in Jeb Bush's Florida and other parts of America.

[Loz]

5. voter turnout

Look at the voter turn out in Taiwan, 85%!!!!!
Almost everyone I know here voted.
You certainly can't say that for the US.

I bet if they recount, they'll find more in favour of A Bian.

A Bian dong suan!!!!!!

www.forumosa.com

[dArKeR]

8. Everyone in Taiwan, even the KMT PIgs but above all the voters/citizens

ALL know it is IMPOSSIBLE to cheat in a Taiwan poll/ballot/count. The cheating goes on before the citizens enter the poll station via bribes.

Previous Testimony: (and I'd like your opinion on this!)

Any and Every person in Taiwan knows this was fair balloting and counting. Where are the foreign Media Whores, like Mike Chinoy, to stand up and publish the Taiwan balloting system? Last elections, I read ALL international observers in Taiwan say they've never seen anything like it. Fair, fast and efficient. Australia, UK, France, US observers.

This is my personal observation:

The most fantastic events I've ever seen.

Taiwan is very cluttered, a little dirty, very disorganised because of the KMT stealing and lack of leadership for 50 years. But the election system set up after Abian won Taipei City Mayor is excellent and well organized and impossible to cheat. (The way the KMT still cheats now is they bribe the voters before they get into the polling station. Once in the door it's 100% Democracy as the American Founding Fathers envisioned.

Poll stations are all over the place, all walking distance over the entire country.

1. Polling station opens
2. Representative from all Parties present. All public is invited to come in and watch the entire process, even pre-setup.
3. All ballot boxes are shown to the public and local reps. as empty then they are locked and stationary, they cannot move! You can sit inside the entire day. My neighbors and I did a tag-team taking turns watching the boxes for Chen's victory in 2000. (It was really a big win. A million times more than the USA Hockey beating the Russians!.)
4. VOTE
5. 5PM Voting stops but Poll is NOT closed. This is when the station gets packed by citizens. Officials open the boxes and pull out the ballots 1 at a time. Call out the selection and a person makes a check mark on the board, tally. Then the ballot is turned and shown to the public inside the station to verify.
6. If a ballot was not marked he calls it out and shows the public. (citizens use a thick ink pen to check boxes.)
7. The totals from this Station are then called into election headquarters.
8. The entire process is counted and totaled by 6:30 - 7:pm and winner declared.
9. The next day the newspapers publish the totals from all stations across the country. Citizens verify if the total they saw in their station matches with the HQ totals.
10. 80%-90% plus vote.

Think about your nation?

I'm so proud to have met, lived, worked and played with the Taiwanese people in Taiwan.

Go to HELL you dirty KMT bastards!

[Loz]

7. Yup

"Isn't Bush telling someone to hold a fair recount like Prescott Bush telling someone not to do business with the Nazis?"

Tee hee!

:headbang:

[PATRICK]

6. What would be gratifying

is for a recount to substantially increase the lead since any discrepancies were probably gamed by the opposition anyway. Which means the president was only pretending not to want a recount so as to give the increased lead legitimacy.

Just one of those uninformed theories.

[dArKeR]

10. If you're in Taiwan could you give me your opinion on Chen losing

100000's of votes because of the assassination attempt? I know Taiwanese and they don't want anything to do with trouble from China, that's the base of the pyramid. Talk talk, but when fear comes it's vote for the Lien and the KMT. I'm sure on this. (though it's my opinion from being with very close Taiwan friends for 15 years. (Mainland and Taiwanese)).

The reports that China firing missiles at Taiwan caused a backlash for people to vote/support the DPP and utter bullshat and complete KMT propaganda. (And the entire media was completely owned and controlled by the KMT for 48 of the last 55 years. Until today still 85% owned/controlled by the KMT. Many of my good Taiwanese friends are really brainwashed. You laugh? Just think what it's like to be programmed since the day of entering school. Yes, some people break out of it but many haven't.

[dArKeR]

9. Where are Robertson, Falwell and Graham's support for Abian?

Every Christian Taiwanese person I've ever met in the last 15 years in Taiwan supports Abian 1000%. Many of Abian's volunteers are Christian. So where's the support from America's Christian leadership????? (That's the elephant in the room!)

[dArKeR]

11. Chen backs calls for recount of votes

Chen also lifted his shirt to display the wound on his stomach, looking to counter conspiracy theories that suggest he staged Friday's attempted assassination.

"We are the ones who were shot. We are more eager than anyone else to find out the truth," he said.

"People are wondering why I could still walk into the hospital after being shot," Chen said. "It was because I am the president of Republic of China, I can never fall down."

He recalled the emotional stress of being shot.

"I almost could not say a thing to my wife on the phone," the president said. Officials released on Sunday a photograph of Chen on the operating table, holding his mobile phone to his ear while surgeons tended to his wound.

"Nineteen years ago, we were almost separated for ever. Nineteen years later, I almost did not live to speak to my wife again. I felt many different emotions," he said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2004/03/24/2003107506