The most important election in Taiwan's short democratic history -- to choose its leader for the post-Lee Teng-hui (
On the final night of campaigning, as mandated by law, all three candidates drove themselves to the brink of exhaustion with last-minute efforts to sway voters. Mostly on foot, they "swept the streets" by walking through key townships, pressing the flesh as they went, stopping only to hold a number of mass rallies.
Each camp expressed its confidence of victory, though members of some expressed concern that last-minute vote-buying by rivals could sway the outcome.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG
The KMT, as had been expected, brought in its heavyweights to help the party's candidate, Chang Cheng-hsiung (
The honor guard included KMT Secretary-General John Chang (
Dripping sweat from the intensity of the day, the KMT candidate passed from door to door shaking voters' hands. With supporters filling the narrow streets of his hometown amid the din of the firecrackers, officials said they were feeling ever-more optimistic.
Meanwhile, the DPP's candidate, Lin Chung-li (
Lin, escorted by DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
At least one time during the day, the two camps came face-to-face on a street -- though no incidents of violence were reported.
While nothing is for certain in this race, all three candidates' camps had the same message -- that they will be taking home the main prize today, barring unforeseen incidents.
Liao Feng-jung (1顳p榮), a KMT official in the Yunlin county office, estimated that the party's candidate would garner around 147,000 votes. Kao Meng-ting (高孟定), Chang Jung-wei's campaign manager, predicted Chang will take away 148,000 votes. And DPP official Chou Yi-cheng (周弈|? said Lin is expected to gain 130,000 votes.
A total of 530,000 residents are eligible to vote in the by-election, and many observers expect a voter turnout of approximately 60 percent.
KMT organization department chief Johnson Chen (3紐?g) said the difference between Chang Cheng-hsiung and Chang Jung-wei will be fewer than 3,000 votes. He said the KMT had to boost its candidate's support along the county's coastal areas if it hoped to win.
From observing conditions in Yunlin County, however, it appears that the specter of vote-buying could well be the deciding factor in the race -- something both party officials and analysts have been saying from the beginning.
It is widely claimed that two of the candidates are attempting to buy votes with prices of NT$500 and NT$1,000 per vote, respectively.
In certain areas, such as an opponent's hometown, prices are said to be as high as NT$3,000.
DPP secretary-general Yu Shyi-kun said he worried about last-minute vote-buying today, just before voters begin filing into polling stations around the county.
Another official at Chang Jung-wei's headquarters said if no more money is injected into the "market," the independent candidate is definitely going to win.
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