Voters in Taiwan will go to the polls on January 13 to choose the island’s next leader for the next four years, a vote that has drawn global attention because the island of nearly 24 million people is at the center of a regional rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
There are currently three candidates running with a close margin, including Mr. Lai Ching-te (also known as William Lai) - representative of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Mr. Hou Yu-ih - representative of the Kuomintang (KMT) and Mr. Ko Wen-je - representative of the People's Party (TPP).
The winner will succeed DPP President Tsai Ing-wen, who has served two four-year terms. The new leader of Taiwan, which produces more than 90% of the world ’s advanced microchips, essential for everything from iPhones to electric cars, will serve a term that begins in May 2024 and ends in May 2028. The inauguration will take place on May 20.
The latest poll conducted before January 3 showed that the candidate of the ruling DPP, William Lai, was leading his main opponents, Hou You-yi of the KMT and Ko Man-je of the newly formed TPP in 2019. According to Taiwan's regulations, no opinion polls can be held within 10 days before the election.
Three candidates running in Taiwan's (China) presidential election, January 13, 2024. Photo: Nikkei Asia
Leading the polls is DPP candidate Lai Ching-teh. Lai, who has been Tsai Ing-wen’s deputy for the past four years, said on January 9 that he would maintain the status quo and pursue peace through strength if elected as Taiwan’s next leader.
Running alongside Lai is vice-presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim, 52. Hsiao is a well-known figure in Washington and was Taiwan's diplomatic representative to the United States.
Lai, 64, a Harvard graduate, comes from a humble background and has six siblings. His father died in a mining accident when he was less than 1 year old. Before becoming Taiwan's vice president, Lai was the mayor of Tainan City.
The KMT, which has a friendlier approach to Beijing, is represented by Hou You-yi, 66, a former policeman and mayor of New Taipei City, just outside the capital Taipei.
Unlike previous elections, which were contested between the DPP and the KMT, this time the race featured a third party, the TPP, led by former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. Mr. Ko, 64, is a candidate particularly popular with younger voters. His TPP claims to be a middle ground between the two traditional factions.
On January 13, in addition to electing the leader and vice-leader, Taiwan's 19.3 million voters will also cast their ballots for the 113-seat legislature. The TPP claims to have won enough seats to prevent the DPP or KMT from winning a simple majority. However, the final outcome remains to be seen.
The results were announced at 10:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. Vietnam time) in the election four years ago. As soon as the polls closed at 4 p.m., the vote counting began and was updated continuously, before the final official results were announced .
Minh Duc (According to Politico EU, Nikkei Asia, Reuters)
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