Taiwan Election problems
From the
CS Monitor comes this story of Election drama and cries of Fraud:
bq. Taiwan is in the midst of a postelection political crisis, with the losing Kuomintang Party staging a noisy sit-in in front of the presidential palace with posters asking "Where's my vote?" As early as Monday, the high court may appoint a judge to decide if evidence exists to block a May 20 inauguration of President Chen Shui-bian.
bq. Sunday's protests followed a dramatic 48 hours in which Mr. Chen weathered a gunshot wound and won by a narrow 30,000 vote margin in the island's third national elections - which were immediately contested by opposition candidate Lien Chan of the Kuomintang (KMT) as being fraudulent. Charges of dirty tricks and conspiracies, has created a sour mood among disgruntled KMT voters and threatens civic confidence.
bq. Still, the elections underscore how far Taiwan has moved toward a politically separate identity from mainland China. And observers say that if the dispute plays out in favor of Chen, who has galvanized voters on a platform of Taiwan sovereignty, Beijing, Washington, and Taipei will need great diplomatic skills to handle the high-tension dynamics expected between them over the next four years. Had the less reform-minded and more pro-China KMT won, relations between China and Taiwan are thought to have been easier to manage.
The
Kuomintang are the original settlers of Taiwan - they were founded in China in 1912. They were politically recognized by the Soviet government but were a more moderate Socialist party. When Mao's bunch of hardline thugs took over Beijing in the late 1940's, they fled to Taiwan. The KMT are seeking closer ties to China.
Elected President Chen Shui-bian is seeking more independence from China. Taiwan has a very strong economy and China wantsssess this precioussss...
Posted by DaveH at March 22, 2004 11:04 AM