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People came out early to vote [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]
By Kate Mayberry
Published On 12 Jan 2024

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13 Jan 2024 - 08:56
 (08:56 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

This live page is now closed.

You can read a wrap of today’s events in Taiwan here. Do stay with Al Jazeera to find out who will be the island’s next president and what that might mean.

13 Jan 2024 - 08:54
 (08:54 GMT)

Elections show ‘Taiwan is not governed by China’

By Randy Mulyanto

Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

Catherine Chou is a voter in the Da’an district of Taipei.

Born in the United States to Taiwanese parents, 39-year-old Chou settled on the island a few years ago and was voting in her second election.

“Elections cannot solve Taiwan’s geopolitical dilemma. Only more international support for Taiwan’s democratic way of life can do that. Only a sea change in Chinese ideology towards Taiwan can do that,” she told Al Jazeera. “But elections express something very important, that Taiwan is not governed by China. And they also allow people to raise the local and quality of life issues that are important to them.”

For Chou, that issue is the status of migrants and how regulations governing national registration and civic rights were “devised for the Republic of China, not modern Taiwan, and privilege those of [Han] Chinese heritage”.

13 Jan 2024 - 08:37
 (08:37 GMT)

‘I am Taiwanese now’: Hong Kong migrants cherish democratic vote

Some of the Hong Kongers who moved to Taiwan after the 2019 protests have voted for the first time.

The Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) spoke to a Hong Kong migrant named Bryan who said he attached great importance to his democratic rights and lamented the Hong Kong government’s failure to listen to those who took to the streets in their hundreds of thousands in 2019.

“We tried to make our voices heard through peaceful marches, but the [Hong Kong] government simply ignored us,” he told the outlet.

“I am a Taiwanese now and I hope Taiwan will improve – although I have not abandoned my identity as a Hong Konger.”

Another former Hong Kong resident who left in 2021 told HKFP that he had got to the polling station in time for the opening and 20 people were already there.

“For thousands of years of Chinese civilisation, [Taiwan] has been the only place where everyone has the right to vote for the highest governing leader,” he said, declining to share his name. “I am lucky to participate in the election.”

Beijing has cracked down on Hong Kong since the 2019 protests and imposed a sweeping national security law that has seen hundreds facing trial. It has also overhauled the electoral system to ensure only “patriots” can hold public office in the territory.

13 Jan 2024 - 08:05
 (08:05 GMT)

Counting under way at individual polling stations

Counting is now under way at polling stations across Taiwan.

According to the Central Elections Commission, a manual count is conducted in the polling station in front of witnesses who observe the process.

The results are then reported to election operation centres – there are 368 of those -uploaded into a computerised data system and shared with voters and candidates.

13 Jan 2024 - 08:00
 (08:00 GMT)
Houthi

Taiwan polls close, result expected in next few hours

After eight hours of voting, Taiwan’s polling stations have just closed.

Officials will start counting the votes straight away, and we should know the winner by tonight.

13 Jan 2024 - 07:41
 (07:41 GMT)

Exiled former Tibetan leader says China an ‘expansionist power’

Exiled former Tibetan leader Lobsang Sangay says China’s actions show that it is an “expansionist power”.

Sangay, who was head of the Tibetan government-in-exile until 2021, was speaking to the Reuters news agency during a visit to Taiwan to observe the island’s elections.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, problems in Tibet were viewed as an “isolated, more peripheral issue”, and people who visited China thought engagement would make the country “more like us”, Sangay said.

“But when it happened to the Uighurs, to Hong Kong and potentially Taiwan, people thought hey, this is a system you are dealing with. This is an expansionist power.”

China occupied Tibet in 1950 and brutally suppressed an uprising a few years later. There were mass protests in 2008, and then a series of self-immolations by Tibetans in protest against the rule of Beijing, which argues it is bringing development to a “backward” territory.

After violence in the far western region of Xinjiang, Beijing interred at least one million people in re-education camps it described as vocational skills training centres, while mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019 led to the imposition of a sweeping national security law in 2020.

Lobsang Sangay, former head of the Tibetan government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration [Ben Blanchard/Reuters]
13 Jan 2024 - 07:15
 (07:15 GMT)

Editor’s Choice: What to read on Taiwan’s election

If you want a better understanding of this election, here are some of the stories we’ve published in the run-up to the poll.

  • Explainer: A poll with outsize importance: What to know about Taiwan’s election
  • News feature: China says Taiwan is theirs. But how do the people of Taiwan feel about that?
  • News feature: ‘The whole thing collapsed’: How China uses economic coercion to try and sway Taiwan’s elections
  • News feature: Taiwan’s Gen Z want something new in Saturday’s election
  • News feature: Why temples are a top campaign stop
  • News feature: How Beijing is changing the way it involves itself in Taiwan’s election
A woman casts her vote at a polling station set up in a temple [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]
13 Jan 2024 - 07:00
 (07:00 GMT)

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says free election source of ‘immense joy’

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the smooth running of the island’s eighth direct presidential election, as the vote enters its final hour.

“Witnessing fellow citizens freely exercise their democratic right fills our hearts with immense joy,” the ministry posted on X.

13 Jan 2024 - 06:45
 (06:45 GMT)

‘He can solve problems’: Why some voters are backing Ko Wen-je

By Erin Hale

Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

A young TPP supporter says it’s time for something new in Taiwan politics

Near Ximen station, a popular shopping district with young people, 25-year-old Nicky told Al Jazeera she had voted for Ko Wen-je.

Nicky says she backed Ko based on his record as Taipei mayor when he oversaw new infrastructure projects like the Taipei Dome and renovated old buildings like markets into tourist hotspots.

“He was the mayor of Taipei for eight years … he can really get things done and he can solve problems. That’s what you want,” she said.

“There’s also his financial transparency … he seems less likely to be corrupt,” she said, than candidates from other parties. All three presidential candidates are facing questions about their various property holdings, including a student dorm, a family home and an illegally zoned parking lot.

Nicky was uncertain about Ko’s chances to win today as most older voters prefer Taiwan’s two traditional parties, but she still wanted to show her support.

“I think it’s time for a change,” she said.

The election will set the trajectory of Taiwan’s relations with China over the next four years [Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo]
13 Jan 2024 - 06:30
 (06:30 GMT)

Taiwan detects eight China PLA aircraft, six ships ahead of vote

Some more details on China’s activities as people in Taiwan vote.

The Ministry of National Defence says it detected eight military aircraft, one of which crossed into Taiwan’s southwestern air defence identification zone, as of 6am (00:00 GMT) this morning.

Six ships from the Chinese navy were also seen around the island, it added.

“Armed forces have monitored the situation and tasked aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” the MND said in a statement.

China continued military activities near Taiwan on Saturday [Greg Baker/AFP]
13 Jan 2024 - 06:15
 (06:15 GMT)

Taiwan voters also choosing new members for 113-seat parliament

By Randy Mulyanto

Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

Voters in Taiwan are also choosing a new parliament.

The DPP has held a slim majority in the 113-seat legislature over the past eight years, but there are expectations that it could lose control to a possible KMT-TPP coalition.

There are also plenty of smaller parties to choose from – 73 seats are based on geographical constituencies while 34 are allocated from the party list and six are reserved for Indigenous people.

Voter Kathy Cheng, 42, told Al Jazeera she’d decided to back the Taiwan Obasan Political Equality Party because of its focus on children’s and social issues. She’d gone to the polling station with her father and six-year-old daughter.

“It’s perfect weather to vote, the process is peaceful and calm, the workers are helpful and organised,” she said. “I feel a lot of trust in the system.

“Voting always means a lot to me as a Taiwanese. I tell my daughter it’s important to vote simply because we can. At the end of all the campaigning, Taiwanese citizens get to vote calmly, safely and thoughtfully. And that’s what democracy is all about.”

 

13 Jan 2024 - 06:00
 (06:00 GMT)

Taiwan’s rocky road to democracy leaves some unable to back KMT

By Erin Hale

Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan’s road to democracy has not been easy.

Once a Japanese colony, the Kuomintang established the Republic of China on the island after losing China’s civil war in 1949.

It governed Taiwan for nearly 40 years under martial law, and oversaw the period known as the ‘White Terror‘ when thousands of Taiwanese were imprisoned or even executed for their political beliefs.

For some voters what happened then means they can never vote for the KMT.

Monica Lee, 71, is one of them.

She told Al Jazeera that her father had worked for the Japanese colonial administration and that made the family suspect to the new regime.

Lee said her father was crippled at some point in the 1950s “by the KMT”.

Such family details used to be kept secret in Taiwan, but since the 2000s it has become more common to hear them.

Lee shared that she’d voted for the DPP.

As a resident of Taipei, she said in 2014 she had voted for Ko Wen-je helping him to his first term as mayor, but didn’t the second time  in 2018 because she was concerned about his ties to China due to several trips there. Ko is now the TPP’s presidential candidate.

Honour guards during the flag-lowering ceremony at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei [Louise Delmotte/AP Photo]
13 Jan 2024 - 05:45
 (05:45 GMT)

DPP voters admit ‘anxious’ about outcome given size of rallies for rival parties

Some DPP supporters are on edge as the clock ticks down on the final few hours of voting.

Guava Lai (Erin Hale/Al Jazeera]

Guava Lai, 28, said it was mostly old people at his polling station in a community centre in his Taipei neighbourhood.

While voting was over quickly, Lai was nervous about the count given the size of the rallies for the other parties.

“My friends were pretty anxious especially the night before. For context most of my friends would be voting for DPP and a lot of them went to the Ketagalan (Boulevard) rally on Thursday,” he said, referring to a large DPP rally near the presidential palace in central Taipei on Thursday.

The same location hosted an enormous crowd for rival Ko Wen-je of the TPP on Friday night, while thousands also turned out for the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih.

“Then they saw the news on Friday that Ko Wen-je had this many people and Hou Yu-ih had that many people.

That was the vibe I saw on my social media feed: people being anxious and also trying to reassure each other.”

13 Jan 2024 - 05:30
 (05:30 GMT)

Taiwan voters looking for an ‘honest man’ as next president

Ross Feingold, a lawyer and political analyst based in Taipei, has been speaking to Al Jazeera about the election.

He says while the island’s relationship with China is an important issue for voters, it is far from their only concern given the high cost of living and housing.

They are also keen to ensure transparency and integrity in public office, according to Feingold.

“Just like other countries, there are recurring corruption issues, nepotism issues under the leadership of different political parties in Taiwan, and I think voters here want to know that the person who is going to lead them for the next four years is an honest man,” he said.

13 Jan 2024 - 05:15
 (05:15 GMT)

READ: Taiwan’s under-30s, their sense of identity and the election

There is no doubt about how Beijing views Taiwan. The self-ruled island is part of China. No argument.

But what about the people of Taiwan themselves? Do they feel Taiwanese, Chinese or a bit of both?

Al Jazeera’s Randy Mulyanto spoke to some young people ahead of the election and found a growing sense of pride around being Taiwanese.

“Taiwan is the place I grew up, the land that raised me. I am Taiwanese,” 27-year-old Chen Yi An told him, adding that the way she defines where she is from “should not be controversial”.

Read more on that story here.

Supporters of the KMT wave the Taiwan flag during a rally for their candidate Hou Yu-ih in Kaohsiung [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP]
13 Jan 2024 - 05:00
 (05:00 GMT)

China’s Weibo blocks trending Taiwan election hashtag

China’s Weibo social media platform has blocked a hashtag on Taiwan’s election that became one of the site’s top-trending topics, according to the AFP news agency.

“In accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed,” a notice on the website showed when the hashtag “Taiwan election” was searched for at about 9:45am local time (01:45 GMT).

13 Jan 2024 - 04:45
 (04:45 GMT)

WATCH: Why some in Taiwan are preparing for an imminent invasion by China

Wu Jheng Cong lives in Taoyuan City on Taiwan’s northern coast near Taipei.

A sofa-maker, he is convinced Beijing will carry through on its threats to use force to take control of the island and has been making preparations.

“I think China will invade Taiwan between 2025 and 2027,” Wu told Al Jazeera. “These rations of food can last our entire family 20 days to a month.”

Find out more about what Wu’s doing to protect himself and his family in this episode of Close Up.

13 Jan 2024 - 04:30
 (04:30 GMT)

‘I see a lot of Chinese involvement on social media’

Some voters brought their four-legged friends with them to the polling station.

Isabella with her dog [Adam Hancock/Al Jazeera]
“I thought it would be fun for the daily walk,” Isabella said of her decision to bring her dog.

Like many voters, Isabella sees Taiwan’s national security as the biggest issue at the ballot box, but she doesn’t agree with the sentiment from some younger voters that Taiwan’s economy is struggling.

“The current president [Tsai Ing-wen] is doing quite well with the economy and politics.

“Young people can focus more on the economy, but I think if you look closely at the past eight years, the DPP is doing very well”.

During this election campaign, she has also noticed a new form of Chinese interference.

“I see a lot of Chinese involvement on social media,” she said.

“I see them doing something dirty, under the table, on social media and many young people are influenced but they didn’t know about it”.

13 Jan 2024 - 04:15
 (04:15 GMT)

Taiwan’s strict election rules and why there are no exit polls

Taiwan maintains strict rules around its elections in order to protect the integrity of the vote and its outcome.

One metric notably absent in comparison with most democracies is exit polls.

Domestic media are also not allowed to publish public opinion polls in the 10 days ahead of the vote.

Reporting on election day itself is also somewhat restricted – media are not allowed to take photos or film inside voting stations. Voters are also not allowed to take photos inside the voting station, although you may see some pictures before or after they enter on social media.

Voting ends at 4pm (08:00 GMT), however, so it’s usually not too long before the first votes are tallied by hand and reported. On a normal election day, things wrap up fairly quickly and local media will start making their calls between 6 and 8pm (10:00-12:00 GMT) – so there’s no extended agony.

Taiwan uses physical ballot papers and counts by hand. The winner should be known by Saturday evening [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP]
13 Jan 2024 - 04:00
 (04:00 GMT)

If you’re just joining us …

It’s 12pm (04:00GMT) in Taipei where voting has now been going on for four hours.

Here’s a recap of the main developments:

  • About 19.5 million people are registered to vote, and it seems many headed out early. Large queues were reported at polling stations, while Taiwan Railways said a record 758,000 tickets were sold on Friday, suggesting many people were travelling back home to vote.
  • The three presidential candidates – the DPP’s William Lai Ching-te, the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wen-je of the TPP – have all cast their votes.
  • Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence said two Chinese balloons had been detected in the hours leading up to the election. One flew over the island. On Friday, China reiterated its claim to the island and said its military would respond resolutely to any move towards independence for the island.