Taiwan election FAQ
I. Legislative Election
When is the election for the fifth-term Legislature to be held?
>> Saturday, December 1, 2001, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What government agency is in charge of the legislative election?
>> The Central Election Commission.
How many seats are being decided in this election?
>> All 225 of them. The fifth Legislature will comprise
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168 legislators from the special municipalities, counties, and cities in the Republic of China,
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four seats for members of plains Aborigine tribes and four for members of mountain Aborigine tribes,
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eight seats representing the overseas Taiwanese community (i.e. ROC citizens residing abroad), and
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41 at-large legislators.
Each county and city must be represented by at least one directly elected legislator.
How are the overseas Taiwanese and at-large seats filled?
>> The political parties are given those seats to fill, based on their percentage of the vote. Thus, a party receiving 35 percent of the vote would be given a proportionate number of these seats.
Members of the ROC's tribes are allotted seats. Are any other groups ensured seats?
>> In any district with between five and ten seats, at least one of these seats must be filled by a woman. Where the number of seats in a single district exceeds ten, at least one seat out of every ten must be filled by a woman.
How long are legislators elected for?
>> Three years.
Are there term limits?
>> No.
How many votes were cast in the two previous legislative elections, and what was voter turnout?
>> About two-thirds of eligible voters went to the polls in the last two legislative elections. In the 1995 election for the third Legislature, 67.65 percent of the 14,153,420 eligible voters cast their ballots. The 1998 election brought out 68.09 percent of that year's 14,961,930 voters.
What were the results of the last legislative election?
>> The Kuomintang won the most seats, with 46.43 percent of the vote; followed by the Democratic Progressive Party, 29.56 percent; and the New Party, 7.06 percent. Independent candidates and those from small parties gathered the remaining 16.95 percent of the vote.
II. County Magistrate & Mayoral Elections
What positions are up for election in the 2001 county magistrate and mayoral elections?
>> All county magistrate positions will be decided in this election. Most cities -- but not Taipei or Kaohsiung -- will choose their mayors.
We will be electing county magistrates and mayors in counties and cities throughout Taiwan for the 14th time, the only exceptions being Hsinchu City and Chiayi City (where the mayors are being elected for the sixth time) and the counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang in Fukien Province (where the magistrates are being elected for the third time).
When are the elections?
>> Saturday, December 1, 2001, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- the same as the legislative election.
Are there campaign spending limits?
>> Yes, but they differ. Taipei County, Taiwan's most populous region, has the highest spending limit, at NT$26.10 million (about US$755,000), while relatively tiny Lienchiang County has the lowest, at NT$6.04 million (US$175,000).
What agency is in charge of administering the elections for county magistrates and city mayors?
>> The same as with the legislative election, namely the Central Election Commission
What has voter turnout been like in previous mayoral and county magistrate elections?
>> In 1997, 11,809,277 people, or 65.92 percent of the eligible electorate, turned out. 1993 had a higher turnout of 70.68 percent, or 10,841,653 voters.
What were the results of the elections for county magistrates and city mayors in 1997?
>> The Democratic Progressive Party outperformed the previously dominant Kuomintang, taking 43.32 percent of the vote to the KMT's 42.12 percent. The New Party trailed far behind its rivals at 1.42 percent, while independents and members of other parties scored 13.14 percent.
How long do county magistrates and city mayors serve?
>> Four years.
Are there term limits?
>> Yes. Unlike legislators, who have no term limits, county magistrates and mayors are limited to two terms in office. (The president is also limited to two four-year terms.)
III. General
Why is the 2001 legislative election being held at the same time as the 2001 elections for county magistrates and city mayors?
>> Although the time legislators are scheduled to complete their terms is not exactly the same as time for county magistrates and mayors, because the respective elections were scheduled only a month apart the Central Election Commission decided to hold all of them on the same day to simplify matters and save costs.
How will the balloting take place?
>> Voters shall cast regular, equal, direct, anonymous, single ballots.
Who can vote?
>> All ROC citizens aged 20 or above are eligible to vote, except those whose right to vote has been revoked and has not yet been reinstated, and those who have been declared legally incompetent.
Persons with the right to vote shall be allowed to vote in elections for public office in the electoral district where they have resided continuously for at least four months.
Who is eligible to run for office?
>> Candidates for the Legislative Yuan must be at least 23 years old. Candidates for county magistrate or city mayor, however, must be at least 30 years old.
Can a candidate run in more than one race at a time?
>> No.
Are candidates given TV air time?
>> The election commission organizes at least two publicly financed programs that last at least one hour each during which candidates and representatives of their respective political parties are allowed to state their views. Television stations instructed to broadcast these programs must comply.
In areas in which cable television is not commonly available, election agencies will also hold "traditional" public opinion forums.
In reporting on election candidates and the political parties to which they belong, radio stations, broadcast television stations, and cable television stations must maintain a fair and impartial stance.
Does the government finance campaigns?
>> Candidates whose portion of the vote passes a set threshhold receive NT$30 (US$0.87) per ballot cast for them. Other than that, individual campaigns receive no public funding. The government, however, does pay for the publication of some election bulletins and for air time that TV stations are required to supply to representatives of the political parties.
How long does it take to count the ballots?
>> As soon as polls close
at 4 p.m., the counting begins. The speed varies with the polling
site. Complete results are usually available within around four
hours.
When do the winners take office?
>> County magistrates and city mayors will be sworn in December 20, 2001. Legislators will take office February 1, 2002.
What are the differences between official campaign period and pre-campaign period?
>>The "campaign activity period" for county chief, city mayor and Legislative Yuan member candidates began on November 21 and will continue for 10 days. According to regulations, campaign activities are only allowed to begin during this period. All activities taking place before this period count as "pre-campaign period activities." Pre-campaign period activities fall within the bounds of ordinary law. For example, to organize a campaign rally, one is required by the Parade & Demonstration Law to apply for permission, and the time of the event is determined when permission is given.
But during the official campaign period, election agencies impose additional special regulations. Rallies and other campaign events must uniformly end at 10 p.m. and may not begin earlier than 7 a.m. Violations can be punished according to the Parade & Demonstration Law and at the same time according to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law.
Furthermore, the greatest difference that the beginning of the official campaign period means for the candidates is that they may not place advertisements on television or radio stations. Television and radio stations also must not broadcast candidates' or political parties' rallies or other events, but can only present such occasions as news. However, these restrictions do not apply to placing advertisements in print media.
In reality, other than the prohibition of advertising on electronic media and the uniform ban on campaign activities after 10 p.m., no obvious difference exists between the official campaign period and the pre-campaign period, according to current regulations. If there is any, it is probably that once the official campaign period begins, it is not necessary to apply for permission to plant flags and hang signs, as long as doing so does not hamper the flow of traffic or endanger public safety. Prior to the campaign period, it is necessary to adhere to the Advertising Materials Management Law.
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