Foreign observers yesterday praised the smooth and peaceful conduct of the presidential election yesterday, saying that the uneventful day was a mark of Taiwan's democratic maturity.
"It was extremely interesting to observe the election process and see democracy at work. I commend the people of Taiwan for having a democracy so young, but yet able to conduct such a smooth election," US Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter of South Carolina said.
Cobb-Hunter is one of the 300-plus foreign observers from more than 30 countries that came to witness the nation's fourth democratically held elections since the lifting of martial law in 1987.
PHOTO: TUNG CHEN-KUO, TAIPEI TIMES
UN Undersecretary Eric Suy-Verbury of the Office of Legal Affairs also commended the election, saying the enthusiasm he saw among Taiwanese voters was "typical of a young democracy."
"I was in South Africa when the country held its first election when apartheid ended in 1994. This is the same atmosphere as it was in South Africa," he said.
Nicaraguan Ambassador to Taiwan William Tapia said the election was a "palpable" demonstration of democracy in Taiwan.
PHOTO: JUAN YI-YU, TAIPEI TIMES
"In the polling stations that we surveyed, many people were lined up nicely. Everything was very calm and quiet. I can be very proud of Taiwan and I think people of Taiwan should be very proud of themselves," said Tapia, who was the first student from Nicaragua to study in Taiwan 40 years ago.
US Representative Ellen Cohen from Texas said the turnout and the level of passion among Taiwanese voters was much more "engaging" than in the US.
"Being such a young democracy, Taiwan's democratic development can really serve as a beacon to other countries," she said, adding that heated verbal exchanges between the two candidates were healthy if the focus was issued-based.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chia Chang (
"When I was standing there, I felt very privileged to be able to watch the process. But quickly I realized that anyone could just drop by to see it," Chang said.
Another FAPA young professional, Zoe Tseng (
"We went down to speak to students at Cheng Kung University in Tainan, and the students told us they do not talk much about politics among their friends; when they do, they only do so briefly," Tseng said.
Describing the presidential election process as peaceful and law-abiding, the head of a Hong Kong-based non-governmental think tank said in Taipei yesterday that democracy in Taiwan can serve as a paragon for the global Chinese community.
"I envy Taiwan for having such a peaceful, law-abiding and smooth process of election, " said Paul Yip (
He said that party rotation is a very "important and glorious moment" for all Chinese people and he came here to learn from Taiwan's experience.
In 2000, Taiwan held its second direct presidential election in which then opposition Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian (
In yesterday's election, the opposition KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
In related developments, former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday slammed the UN referendum bids and lashed out at US Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher for calling on Taiwanese to fully participate in the election.
"I refused to take both of the referendum ballots ... Some of the US congressional members can be idiots," he said when asked by reporters to comment on Rohrabacher's call for Taiwanese to participate in the election and not be intimidated by threats from China.
Rohrabacher is part of the US delegation that arrived in Taiwan to observe the election and referendum yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party vice presidential candidate Su Tseng-chang (
Speaking after casting his vote in Taipei County yesterday morning, Su said Lien should have treated the US congressional members with courtesy even though he disagreed with Rohrabacher.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH, KO SHU-LING AND CNA
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS