[Tee tiong huat]

Taiwan election 2024: Major party positions on death penalty...KMT accuses DPP of dodging issue, govt says penalty to be carried out in line with law.

Democratic Progressive Party

During televised debate on Dec. 30, DPP’s Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said a high degree of public support would be needed to abolish the death penalty. He also said he understood people’s desire to retain capital punishement.

Since then, Lai has faced near daily calls from Hou’s campaign and other members of the KMT to clarify his position. They say he is avoiding the issue. On Monday, a spokesperson for Lai’s campaign said the issue was not being avoided.

The spokesperson said the abolition of the death penalty is not the issue, and added the DPP advocates for more careful handling of the issue, per UDN.

Meanwhile on Friday, Taiwan’s justice ministry responded to the increasing criticisms from KMT candidates and said it was not reluctant to carry out executions, per Storm Media. There are currently 37 inmates on death row in Taiwan, the ministry said, and executing them immediately would require removing the legal remedy processes allowed by law.

The ministry said all of Taiwan’s death row inmates have mounted legal challenges to their sentences. It said that sentences will be carried out in accordance with the law, depending on the outcome of these challenges.

Due to the relatively low number of executions carried out under the current DPP administration, the KMT has also accused the party of de-facto abolition. The ministry said this is a misunderstanding in the media and in society.

Taiwan Votes 2024: Taiwanese head to ballot booths to pick a new president and legislators today. What’s at stake?

Taiwan Votes 2024: Taiwanese head to ballot booths to pick a new president and legislators today. What’s at stake?

Close to 20 million Taiwanese are eligible to vote in this election, which is being closely watched around the world for the implications on the cross-strait relationship as well as the Sino-US rivalry.

Taiwan Votes 2024: Taiwanese head to ballot booths to pick a new president and legislators today. What’s at stake?

People wait for the opening of the polling station to cast their vote, in Taipei, Taiwan on Jan 13, 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)


13 Jan 2024 06:00AM (Updated: 13 Jan 2024
SINGAPORE/TAIPEI: Taiwan heads to the polls today (Jan 13) to choose its next leader in a high-stakes presidential election that will determine the direction of cross-strait relations with China, as well as regional and even global stability.

Voting opens at 8am local time and closes at 4pm. Results are expected to be out by the end of the day.

It’s a three-way contest in the presidential race - frontrunner Mr Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is facing off against Mr Hou Yu-ih from the Kuomintang (KMT), with Dr Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) also in the fray.

Final opinion polls conducted on Jan 3 have placed DPP presidential candidate Mr Lai in the lead, but the KMT’s Mr Hou follows closely on his heels. While TPP candidate Dr Ko is a distant third, his party could hold the balance of power in the legislature.

President Tsai Ing-wen is ineligible to seek re-election after serving two straight terms.

The hopefuls have been busy through the 28 days of formal campaigning, staging rallies and taking part in televised debates as they seek to win people’s hearts and minds - and secure their votes.

CNA has been on the ground - here are the key issues that have emerged in this election.

CROSS-STRAIT TENSIONS
The issue has been at the forefront as China steps up military and economic pressure on Taiwan. Beijing has framed the election as a choice between war and peace across the Taiwan Strait, as well as between prosperity and recession.

While China has not publicly stated its preferred candidate, it has clearly signalled who’s not in its favour, calling the DPP’s Lai a “separatist” and “troublemaker”.

Mr Lai was previously outspoken in his support for Taiwan independence - which China sees as a red line -  but has since distanced himself from this. He has pledged to prioritise the status quo, saying only Taiwan’s people can decide the island’s future.

Mr Hou of the KMT has portrayed the presidential ballot as a choice between war and peace with China, mirroring Beijing’s warning. He has said he will restart talks with China, starting with lower-level events such as cultural exchanges. Still, he rejects Beijing’s “one country, two systems” model of bringing Taiwan under its control.

As for the TPP’s Dr Ko, how exactly he will conduct cross-strait policy remains unclear. He has touted his party as offering a “middle way” between the DPP and KMT on the matter of China, while offering few details.