Taiwan Opposition to Concede in Election-Sources

reuters ^ | mar 20 2004 | reuters

[KneelBeforeZod]

Taiwan Opposition to Concede in Election-Sources 21 minutes ago

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Former vice president Lien Chan, standard bearer of the opposition Nationalist Party, is to concede defeat in the tightly run Taiwan presidential election Saturday, two senior campaign sources said.

"Based on our own data, it's over, we have lost," said one senior campaign source.

That win for President Chen Shui-bian was set to make a statement shortly, one official said.

At Chen's headquarters, firecrackers erupted in a storm of celebration.

The result is likely to anger China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must be reunited by force if necessary and dislikes the pro-independence policies of incumbent Chen. .

[vbmoneyspender]

The result is likely to anger China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must be reunited by force if necessary and dislikes the pro-independence policies of incumbent Chen.

Spaniards take note.

[goldstategop]

Its a big defeat for the ChiComs.

[Qwinn]

"The result is likely to anger China"

Poor widdle Chicomms. My heart bleeds.

Taiwan is the only issue that I've ever -really- gotten upset at Bush about. I can understand, for political reasons, maintaining a relatively soft stance on China on a lot of issues, like trade... but Taiwan? Screw that. If China attacks Taiwan, I would 100% solidly support intervening.

Qwinn

[Simmy2.5]

Watching the concession speech right now. Don't understand anything, other the fact...they lost.

[Chia]

Mr. Lien has just said it's an unfair election. He claimed the election is null and void.
He thinks the shot is a backstairs.

[trickyricky]

Taiwan - Declare Independence!

These ideas will get you started:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

[steveegg]

Score one for the freedom-lovers. Thankfully, not everyone's like the Spanish.

[OldFriend]

Perhaps they are more like the Spanish than we care to admit.

Shots fired at precisely the right time may well have garnered a sympathy vote.

The election was close, which is telling.

[Simmy2.5]

Mr. Lien...Al Gore of Taiwan.

[steveegg]

I don't know the pre-assassination-attempt polls in Taiwan, so I don't know how close the election would have been without those shots. However, I do know that it didn't succeed in getting a government more likely to knuckle under to the ChiComs.

[Republican Party Reptile]

Hmmm, looks like FL all over again :)

Lien is not conceding per se, watching Lien's speech live in Singapore ... speech saying it's an unfair election, many questions, wants a complete recount from the central election commission, will file law suit to contest the result, switching back and forth between Mandarin and Taiwanese in the speech, thanking all supporters, ask them to be calm and strong, speaking of his love for Taiwan ... etc. etc.

Soong speaking now, saying democracy is the greatest weapon Taiwan has against China and shouldn't be tarnished by questionable election result, also asking supporter to put faith in Taiwan, to be calm and rational, but wants everyone to know it was not a fair election, need to have a fair election to be ble to stand up as a true democracy among the nations of the world, accusing Chen of dirty tricks, pumping up the crowd, demanding a fair re-count and investigation into election practices, ask people to love Taiwan etc . etc. ...

follow-up speeches by various functionaries and lackeys, questioning the effect of the shooting of Chen and Lu yesterday - wondering what the "truth" is - suggesting, but not out right saying so, that it was staged for the purpose of swing the undecided votes (most indication was that Blue was surging and had a slight lead as of Friday, the shooting of Chen and Lu probably did change the dynamics and the vote balance to favor the Green in the last hours before the election.

The Blues now saying they have contacted lawyers and filed formal request for re-count with central election commission.

[Republican Party Reptile]

official polls are not allowed in the ten days before the election. unofficial chatter had the blues surging in the last 48 hours before the election and *probably* was heading for a blue win by a small margin (the blues actually had a much higher lead in the poll six months ago, but than steadily lost ground until they started making up the margins again in the final week before the election).

The shooting probably at least aided the swing in dynamics of the votes to favor green.

[OldFriend]

Thanks. I admit I had not been following this election.

[zook]

I do not see this as either a "victory for democracy" nor as a defeat for China. If you want to understand the political dynamic in Taiwan just understand the following:
DPP = US Democrat Party
KMT = US Republican Party.

The DPP is a social democrat style party that will turn its back on the US as surely as it wishes to turn its back on China.

The situation there is far more complex than most of you imagine.

[zook]

The KMT has never "knuckled under" to the Red Chinese and no serious analyst of Taiwan politics suggests that they every would.

[Avenger]

"The DPP is a social democrat style party that will turn its back on the US as surely as it wishes to turn its back on China."

As long as the PRC is a threat to Taiwan neither the DPP or the KMT will turn their backs on the U.S. I think your equating Taiwan's political parties with U.S. political parties is a bit oversimplified.

[steveegg]

Thanks. I hope al-Qaida was paying attention and took note that their favorite pre-election tactics don't always work.

[zook]

It's simplified, but not oversimplified. And I speak as someone who has lived there and experienced the debates between the two parties over time.

[Avenger]

I do not see this as either a "victory for democracy" nor as a defeat for China.

---

It is a defeat in the sense that they will not be able to say in the newpapers: "Abien's defeat proves that Taiwanese compatriots steadfastly reject independence and long for their liberation and eventually reunification with the Motherland." Of course, as you said, neither KMT or DPP, has any love for the CCP, however you can bet that a defeat for Abien would have provided a nice source of propoganda for the state-controlled media in the PRC.