Edited by Deepali Verma
Taiwan is currently casting their votes to seal the fate of their country. The three presidential contenders for Taiwan in the 2024 general election have casted their ballots early on January 13, as per the Taiwan News.
The presidential candidates hailing from the three major parties are: the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te and his running partner Hsiao Bi-khim; the Taiwan People’s Party’s Ko Wen-Je and his running mate Wu Hsin-Ying; and the Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih and his running mate Jaw Shaw-kong.
As per the Taiwan-based SET news, Lai reached the Anping Elementary School in Tainan’s Anping District, Tainan City, to cast his ballot. He expressed his love for every chance to cast a ballot where he considered Taiwan’s democracy as a labour of love. On the other hand, at the Da’an district of Taipei’s Jinou Girls’ High School, Ko cast his ballot, Taiwan news reported citing Channel News Asia. Meanwhile, Banqiao Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Banqiao District saw Hou’s arrival to cast his vote.
The ongoing election determines Taiwan’s president and vice president as well as 113 legislators, including 73 district lawmakers, six indigenous lawmakers and 34 legislators-at-large. The polls opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 4 p.m.
Making a strict appeal, the voters were notified by the Central Election Commission to arrive at their assigned polling place carrying their national ID card, voting notice and personal seal (chop). It warned further that encouraging or discouraging others to vote, as well as engaging in any disturbances or interfering within 30 metres of the polling place, are forbidden, as per the reports of Taiwan News. The offenders run the risk of being imprisoned for up to a year, placed under confinement, or fined up to New Taiwan dollars 15,000 (USD 482.46) even after being stopped by security officers.
Additionally, mobile phones and other cameras are prohibited in the polling stations. However, the devices with the power turned off are exempted from the restrictions.
Close to 70 per cent of the island’s 19.5 million voters are registered to vote where they are spread throughout the five biggest cities: Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, as per Al Jazeera. A total of 17,795 polling stations with the majority of them in schools. The result is expected to be out late on January 13.
Beijing’s growing threats towards Taipei over the last eight years have raised concerns, and the world awaits both the election results as well as the response from Taiwan’s ‘authoritarian neighbour’, according to the reports by CNN.
The demographic of age groups in the presidential elections makes the 40-49-year-olds make as the largest voting bloc with 3.88 million eligible voters, or 19.88 per cent of the electorate, followed by 50-59-year-olds with 3.53 million eligible voters, that account for a total of 18.06 per cent of the electorate, Taiwan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) statement said. Close to 2.84 million people aged 20-29 year-olds hold eligibility to vote in the presidential election this time.
Taiwanese voters will further be choosing a successor to Tsai Ing-wen, the nation’s first female president, who cannot seek re-election owing to the term limits after winning in 2016 and 2020.
