Recount set for May 10
The government opposition is divided due to polemics raised over their defeat in elections. Meanwhile the economy helps to build relations to with China.
Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) This May 10 a recount of votes will take place, confirming whether Taiwan's President Chen Shuibian won the controversial March 20 elections or not. Taiwan's High Court has thus honored the recount requested by the KMT nationalist opposition party, which had to pay a 60 million Taiwan dollar deposit (around 1,480,800 euro) to help sustain the expenses of the recount.
Wellington Ku Lihsiung, Chen's attorney, said that "there are still some divergences of opinion, including how to determine whether a vote is valid or not and how to involve several inspectors."
His attorney also said that if everything proceeds without problems the recount should be over before the new president's inauguration ceremony scheduled for next May 20.
The attorney for the opposition presidential candidate (Lien Chan), Tsai Yu-ling, said that Central Election Commission officials will be invited to the Apr. 28 hearing to discuss how to establish criteria for establishing the validity of votes.
Meanwhile, reflection on the opposition's defeat is destabilizing the coalition, which finds itself in sharp contrast with the majority after the assassination attempt on the lives of president Chen and vice-president Annette Lu on the eve of elections.
Sisy Chen, an opposition MP and campaign adviser to the KMT and PFP parities, has come to the center of the controversy after accusing Chen of "orchestrating" the assasination attempt to win more votes. According to opposition leaders, the accusations made against the president at a press conference contributed to the moving voter support in favor of Chen. Many KMT leaders have requested that the president's party chairman, Lin Feng-cheng, and his two assistants resign from their positions.
Concerning relations with China (which have been rather tense after elections and the defeated referendum of Taiwan's "independence") economic interests appear to help normalize cross-strait problems.
Vincent Siew Wan-chang, President Chen's economic adviser, will travel to China to attend the "Boao" Asian Financial Conference held on the island of Hainan Apr. 24-25.
The economics expert will not be on an official state visit, but will attend as president of a private organization (Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation). However, the organization's CEO, Douglas Hung, said: "We hope our participation in the conference will help strengthen cross-strait economic and commercial ties. (MR)
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