Presidential Elections in Taiwan

As we read in the Los Angeles Times, the elections will culminate a process which has been progressing for eight years. The elections "represent a zenith for democratic reforms in Taiwan that began with the lifting of martial law in 1987 and have also spawned a feisty brand of democracy" ("Taiwan Finally" A-30).

The final Parliamentary decision approving the rules governing the elections was achieved on July 20, 1995 ("Taiwan Finally" A-30), following the 1994 final approval by the National Assembly of the proposal for the presidential elections ("Lee Sets Bid" 706).

As A. James Gregor writes, the presidential elections are the final step in a slow but steady march toward democracy which began when the Republic of China on Taiwan was originally formed by Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek in 1949 after his forces were finally defeated by the communists in China. As Gregor writes,

Long lost in the shadow of mainland China, the people of Taiwan have not only created an 'economic miracle' in a [nation] . . . almost devoid of natural resources, but they have pea

. . .
0). There is also much conflict between the parties and even within the ruling party with respect to the elections. As we read in The Economist, the rancor attendant on the Assembly elections is continuing into the presidential election campaign: "More than two months of speeches and muck-raking is one of the penalties of Taiwan's enthusiasm for democracy." Also, with a short break after Assembly elections, "electioneering will start up again for the presidential election." Chen Li-an recently quit the ruling party and pledged to run on an independent ticket. Chen made the claim that the government under Lee is "corrupt and inefficient" ("Boxing Clever" 43). There is some truth to Chen's claims of corruption, at least technically. That is, the media coverage of the election will inevitably be tilted toward Lee and the ruling Nationalist Party, due to the fact that of Taiwan's three television companies, the Kuomintang-controlled Taiwan provincial government owns 49% of TTV, the party itself owns 68% of CTV, and the defence ministry . . . owns 60% of CTS. . . . The past five years of electoral reforms have done little to dent the power of the KMT ("Boxing Clever" 43). Lee remains hugely popular as a result of his past leade
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1575
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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