Unofficial observers from overseas praised the calm atmosphere and efficiency of yesterday's elections, although some commented on the low turnout rate among younger voters.
Member of the European Parliament for Hamburg Georg Jarzembowski, who came to Taiwan to observe the election, said the smooth way in which the voting process proceeded was an indication of the maturity of the nation's democracy.
"We did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Everything went as the polls have suggested," Jarzembowski said.
The election results signify that voters are dissatisfied with the incumbent government and are yearning for a fresh beginning to revive the economy, he said.
Jarzembowski, who heads the European Parliament's Taiwan Friendship Group, said he did not observe any misconduct at any of the polling stations he surveyed yesterday.
"The voters behaved just as we expected, orderly and enthusiastic," he said.
Jarzembowski said he was happy to see the candidates -- both winners and losers -- behave in a gracious manner.
Sebastian Dreyer, Taiwan Friendship Group secretary-general said the candidates had probably been on their best behavior because they knew their conduct in this election could influence the result of the presidential election in March.
Christopher Hughes, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, said the calmness of yesterday's elections was a "good thing, because in the past elections have been too emotional."
Hughes attended several election rallies and said groups of party supporters were relatively calm, even when rallies of opposing parties took place next to each other.
Gudrun Wacker, head of the Research Unit Asia from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said candidates' campaign platforms, especially in southern counties, were mostly localized and had concentrated on developing the region's economy.
Some graduate students from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) said there was a very low turnout among younger voters.
They said some students might have found it difficult to travel all the way home to vote.
One student, Christina Lin, said she was concerned to see a lack of involvement among young voters.
"Some of the students that I talked to did not plan to vote," SAIS student Andrew Publicover said.
The SAIS students said they were able to attend various election events and talk to candidates about their policies.
They said the trip helped them gain a better understanding of Taiwan's political climate, especially on the issue of national identity, cross-strait relations and the role of the US in China-Taiwan relations.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
RSS