Approximately 19.5 million eligible voters in Taiwan are set to participate in the elections this Saturday, casting their votes to select a new President and Parliament. This event unfolds against a backdrop of escalating warnings from China, suggesting that the future of Taipei stands at a critical "crossroads."
Citizens formed queues outside polling stations across the nation, with the voting scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m., as reported by CNN. The anticipated release of election results is expected later in the evening.
Throughout the campaign duration, candidates embarked on tours of major cities, organizing nightly rallies filled with rock music, impassioned speeches, and rhythmic chants from large crowds.
The primary contenders seeking to succeed the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female leader, include Hou Yu-ih from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Lai, the current Vice President, aims to secure a third term for the DPP, which has consistently clashed with Beijing over the defense of Taiwan's sovereignty. Such a victory would mark an unprecedented event in the island's nearly three decades of democratic history, rejecting China's assertive tactics, according to CNN.
Hou, a mayor and former police chief, represents the KMT, traditionally favoring closer cross-strait ties. A KMT triumph would likely be well-received by Beijing, signaling a potential desire among voters to de-escalate tensions.
Ko, who founded the TPP in 2019 to challenge the political duopoly, also advocates for closer ties with China but asserts he would be less deferential to Beijing than the KMT.
China's ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, despite never having exercised control over it. In the lead-up to the elections, China cautioned Taiwan's voters to "make the right choice at the crossroads of cross-strait relations," criticizing the ruling DPP.
President Xi Jinping has framed the presidential poll as a decisive choice between "war and peace," describing Taiwan's unification with the mainland as a "historical inevitability."
Just before polling commenced, China's Defence Ministry pledged to take "all necessary measures to crush any forms of secessionist designs for Taiwan independence." The election, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is considered "purely an internal Chinese matter," and Beijing refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the vote.
Over the past year, China has significantly heightened military pressure on Taiwan, deploying jets and warships. Despite this, the Chinese government has consistently emphasized a preference for peaceful "unification" over resorting to war.
(With Agency Inputs)
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