Ma Could Win by Landslide in Taiwan
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) could secure a massive victory in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, according to a poll by TVBS. 54 per cent of respondents would vote for Ma Ying-jeou and running mate Vincent Siew in this month’s ballot, up three points since last August.
Frank Hsieh and running mate Su Tseng-chang of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are second with 20 per cent. 25 per cent of respondents are undecided, up seven points in six months.
In 1895, following a military defeat, China ceded Taiwan to Japan. At the end of World War II, the island was returned to Chinese control. In 1949, as Mao Zedong’s communists were gaining prominence in Mainland China, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek established the Republic of China in Taiwan. A series of democratic reforms implemented by Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui in the early 1990s allowed Taiwan’s residents to take part in free and fair elections. To this date, Mainland China considers Taiwan a "renegade province" and reserves the right to bring it under control.
DPP member Chen Shui-bian was first elected president in 2000. In March 2004, he earned a second term in an election marred by controversy after an apparent assassination attempt.
In January, the KMT and its partners won 85 seats in the 113-member Legislative Yuan. The KMT advocates for maintaining the status quo with the Chinese central government, while the DPP has aggressively pursued independence from Beijing.
Earlier this month, former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui discussed the election, calling it "thought-provoking" and claiming that Taiwan’s democracy "would be set back 20 years" if DPP candidate Hsieh loses.
Taiwan’s presidential election is scheduled for Mar. 22.
Polling Data
Which of these tickets would you support in the next presidential election?
| Feb. 2008 | Aug. 2007 | |
| Ma Ying-jeou / Vincent Siew (KMT) | 54% | 51% |
| Frank Hsieh / Su Tseng-chang (DPP) | 20% | 30% |
| Undecided | 26% | 19% |
Source: TVBS
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,264 Taiwanese adults, conducted in February 2008. No margin of error was provided.
1 comment:
Well written article.
Post a Comment