CALD Conducts Election Mission in Taiwan

Election, it is said, is the sine qua non of democracy.  Through this process, the people truly become the master of their destiny and purveyor of government authority.

It is in this light that elections have always been of great importance for the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD). Being a network of liberal and democratic political parties, CALD views the elections, provided they are free and fair, as the only legitimate means to attain political power.

Last November 24-28, 2010, a delegation from CALD was invited by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), with the support of Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), to observe Taiwan’s elections in five big cities – Taipei, New Taipei (Xinbei), Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tainan. This electoral observation mission was envisioned to serve as a venue for sharing of experiences and best practices on election administration, campaign strategies, and political communication between and amongst CALD member parties.

The mission commenced with a briefing at the TFD office.  After the video presentation detailing the work of the Foundation in the region, Dr. Eric Chen-Hua Yu, Assistant Researcher of National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, provided a backgrounder on the city elections and on the strengths and weaknesses of the major candidates for the mayoralty post. The CALD delegation then proceeded to the party headquarters of the DPP where Foreign Policy Advisors Mr. Winston Dang and Ms. Fu-Mei Chang, together with Survey Center Researcher Ryan Lin Chih-Wen, shared their thoughts on the prospects for the DPP in the elections.

On the second day of the mission, the members of the delegation went to the Central Election Commission (CEC) where they learned about the electoral process in Taiwan, as well as the tasks and functions of the CEC.  Before departing for Kaohsiung, they also dropped by at the DPP Taipei City Campaign Branch of Shilin District, where they were warmly received by the campaign staff and volunteers of mayoralty candidate, Mr. Su, Tseng-chang.  In Kaohsiung, Campaign Manager Ms. Liu Shih-fang gladly informed the delegation that based on survey results, the victory of Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu from the DPP was almost certain, the only question that remained was whether she would get more than fifty per cent of the votes in a three-corned race.  After the briefing, the delegation then proceeded to the neigboring Tainan, another DPP stronghold, where a sumptuous dinner was hosted by long-time DPP supporter, Mrs. Shih.  The evening was capped by a jeep parade for DPP mayoralty candidate in Tainan, Dr. William Lai, who also personally greeted the members of the CALD delegation after the rally.

The third day began with a trip to Taichung, a city located in the west central of the island.  While this city was known to be dominated by Koumintang (KMT), the DPP mayoralty candidate, Mr. Su, Jia-chyuan, made significant leaps in recent surveys to close the gap.  After a briefing and lunch at the DPP Taichung Campaign Headquarters, the delegation joined a jeep parade before heading to New Taipei.  A short visit was made at the campaign headquarters of DPP Chair and New Taipei mayoralty candidate, Dr. Tsai, Ing-wen, before the delegation joined the evening rallies for Dr. Tsai and for DPP Taipei City candidate Mr. Su.

The following day, election day, the CALD delegation visited a poll station to observe voting in practice.  Many delegates were impressed by the simple and orderly manner of voting, which, they said, should be replicated in their respective countries.  They then headed back to the DPP headquarters where a panel discussion moderated by DPP Foreign Policy Advisor Mr. Winston Dang was held.  The panelists included: Mr. Leou Chia-Feng, Director of Research, Taiwan Think Tank; Ms. Fu-Mei Chang, DPP Foreign Policy Advisor; and Professor J. Bruce Jacobs of Monash University.  In the evening, the delegation observed vote counting  both at the polling station and at the CEC.

The DPP was able to win the mayoralty races in Kaohsiung and Tainan with a majority of the votes. In Taipei, New Taipei (Xinbei) and Taichung, the candidates of the rival KMT party won.  In terms of overall votes, however, DPP was able to capture more than fifty per cent and significantly increased its number of seats in the city councils.  After the results were known, a press conference was called by DPP Chair Dr. Tsai at the party headquarters.

Taiwan’s recently concluded city elections showcased democracy at work.  As one member of the CALD delegation said, “While electoral results are not always to our liking, the idea that we can always fight another day is what keeps the democratic spirit alive and well.”

Categorised in: News Article

This post was written by CALD