Friday January 11, 11:55 AM
Taiwan candidates stump on eve of vote
TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Candidates in Taiwan made their final push today to woo supporters on the eve of parliamentary elections, with the party of President Chen Shui-bian trying to stave off an embarrassing defeat.
More than 17 mln people are eligible to cast ballots tomorrow for the new legislature, in a contest seen as a crucial indicator of popular sentiment ahead of the March polls to pick a successor to the pro-independence Chen.
The nationalist Kuomintang (KMT (Stockholm: KMT.ST - news) ), which favors closer ties with China, had a comfortable lead over Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in final opinion polls released late last month.
Chen, who has stumped tirelessly for DPP candidates, criss-crossed the island to reach voters today, urging them to turn out in large numbers.
'Tomorrow's election is critical because Taiwan can't lose, and democracy and justice must win,' Chen said in the southern city of Kaohsiung early in the day before heading to central Taichung, and then on to Taipei county.
'The people should treasure the sacred ballots in their hands and vote,' he said, his voice hoarse from weeks of campaigning.
Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou, the KMT's presidential candidate, called on the Taiwanese to vote for change.
'Taiwan's economy and social order are getting worse. It is time for new blood and a different party to take over,' Ma told a rally late yesterday in Kaohsiung, a traditional DPP power base.
'Many people are disappointed in the DPP government.'
The island's sluggish economy and the future of its often tense relationship with China are the issues dominating both tomorrow's contest and the presidential campaign.
The KMT, which currently has a slim parliamentary majority with its allies, is hoping to take home an absolute majority tomorrow, and capitalize on that momentum to carry Ma to the presidency.
The nationalists, who first set up a government in Taiwan in 1949 after fleeing mainland China at the end of a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, held power here until Chen's election in 2000.
Chen has set a target of 50 seats for his party -- a figure that would deprive the KMT of a powerful two-thirds majority in the legislature -- and urged supporters to give his DPP a much-needed boost for the March polls.
DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh -- who has kept a low profile during the parliamentary campaign -- has, like Chen, emphasized the importance of Taiwan's independent identity.
But Ma believes closer ties with China can only help Taiwan, and favors widening lucrative investment opportunities across the narrow Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan's legislature has been streamlined from its current 225 seats to just 113 in an effort to improve efficiency.
Voters will cast two ballots -- one for a specific candidate in their district and a second for the party of their choice. Thirty-four seats will be allotted on a party list system.
Authorities have cracked down on vote-buying in the run-up to the vote, investigating nearly 11,000 people on suspicion of election-related bribery. So far, 16 people have been indicted, according to the justice ministry.
Election commission chief Chang Chen-hsiung today predicted a higher turnout than the 59.2 pct of eligible voters who cast ballots in the December 2004 legislative polls. Final results are expected late tomorrow.
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