Foreign
CANDIDATES in Taiwan`s upcoming presidential election looked for keys to victory on Monday in a lottery for the order in which they would appear on ballots in the Jan. 11 national elections on the self-ruled island.
More than 17.2 million citizens will be eligible to choose between three presidential and vice-presidential tickets as well as elect the next 113-seat national legislature.
The tickets include incumbent President (Ms) Tsai Ing-wen and former Premier Lai Ching-te for the governing centrist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu and ex-Premier Chang Shan-cheng for the right-wing Kuomintang (KMT).Others are former KMT Secretary-General James Soong and United Communications Corp chairwoman Sandra Yu for the conservative People First Party (PFP)
In a ceremony at the Central Election Commission in Taipei, PFP Secretary-General Lee Hung-chun picked a paper lot marked with “1,” Han pulled out “2” and Lai chose “3.”
The PFP`s Lee told supporters outside the CEC building that “number one” meant that Soong, who is making his fourth presidential run, would stand above the other two camps and “put the people first.”
Han told boisterous backers that “the two of us will run hand in hand with one heart” and “will bring security to the nation and money to the people.”
Lai said “3” signaled to voters that they should cast “three ballots to safeguard Taiwan” by voting for the DPP presidential ticket and for DPP candidates in single-seat districts and the at-large party lists.
Officially called the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan has had a separate government since Chinese Nationalists fled there in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists in China.
Beijing considers the self-governing democracy part of its territory. (dpa/NAN)
– Dec. 9, 2019 @ 15:12 GMT |
Tags: Taiwan presidential candidates seek omens in ballot lottery
