by Millions of Taiwanese citizens lined up at the polls Saturday to make a decision that could reshape the island’s democracy’s increasingly tense standoff with its much larger neighbor, China: Who should be Taiwan’s next president in dangerous times?
Voters are choosing mainly between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which wants to continue moving Taiwan away from Beijing’s influence, arguing it is the best way to keep the island safe, and the opposition Nationalist Party, which has promised to expand trade ties and restart talks with China, arguing that this will reduce the risks of war. A newer party, the Taiwan People’s Party, has also promised measures to revive engagement with China.
Taiwan’s polling stations closed at 4 pm local time, and local news stations quickly began broadcasting live videos of election officials counting votes. The results, likely to be announced Saturday night, could have repercussions far beyond the island, which has become the biggest flashpoint in the rivalry between China and the United States. Any change in relations between China and Taiwan after the island’s next president takes office in May could escalate or ease tensions between Beijing and Washington.
In some places, lines began forming at the polls even before the polls opened at 8 a.m., and many multigenerational families showed up in groups. Taiwanese citizens must vote in person (no electronic or postal votes are allowed) and people fan out to reach them. nearly 18,000 polling stations in temples, churches, community centers and schools throughout the island. Votes will be counted by hand after polls close at 4 p.m.
“Taiwan’s election for a president and vice president actually affects not only the future of Taiwan, but also Asia and even the entire world,” said Cheng Ting-bin, 56, a teacher who had just voted in Taipei. , the capital. “We all know the world is now choosing sides.”
The race is close. Vice President Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, has been widely considered the favorite. But Hou Yu-ih, the nationalist candidate, has narrowed Lai’s lead to just a few percentage points in many polls in recent weeks.
And Ko Wen-je, the Taiwan People’s Party candidate, remains hopeful of a surprise victory fueled by voters fed up with the two established parties. Mr. Ko’s party said his rally in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, on Friday night attracted almost 200,000 people.
In Taipei, Mr. Ko appeared with his wife at a school where he voted alongside a crowd of people, some of whom carried coffee as they quietly filed into booths to cast paper ballots.
One of its supporters, Jessica Chou, 25, thought the DPP had brought Taiwan too close to Washington and hoped the next leader would stay away from both world powers.
“I’m worried about China, but I also think we can’t always trust the United States,” Chou said as she left the school where she said she had voted for Ko. “I hope Taiwan can find its own strategically advantageous position.”
Many described the solemn weight of using democratic means to decide which presidential candidate should face their much larger, autocratic and heavily armed neighbor.
“I think it is inevitable that my generation will face more confrontations with China,” Chen Hsuan, 27, said after casting his vote at a primary school in Chiayi, a southern city. “That’s why I appreciate the opportunity to vote today even more.”
He said he voted for the PDP and hoped the new presidency could expand ties with democratic countries.
On Friday night, each of the parties held raucous election-eve rallies across Taiwan. In Chiayi, candidates from all three parties drove campaign vans around a large fountain in a circle in the center of the city, shouting slogans and urging people to vote.
Large crowds of supporters filled the side streets around the circle, waving colorful banners and large balloons. The parade was festive, with candidate vans playing club music and several supporters dressed in inflatable dinosaur costumes for no apparent political reason.
Waving a small Nationalist Party flag at the rally in Chiayi, Wu Lee-shu, 60, a clothing store employee, said she was worried about Taiwan’s security under the DPP. “I will vote for the Nationalist Party because I think they are less likely to push Taiwan into war,” she said. “I’m worried about letting the other party take power, but I will respect the results of democracy.”
The candidates have also debated domestic issues such as housing and energy policy, and have traded accusations that their rivals engaged in shady land deals. But the China issue overshadows all important elections here.
Beijing claims that the island of 23 million The town about 100 miles off the Chinese coast is his territory and he has urged his people to accept unification, peacefully if possible; by force, if Chinese leaders decide it is necessary. The United States is by far Taiwan’s most important security backer and, under Presidents Biden and Trump, has become more openly active in supporting the island against Chinese pressure.
DPP presidential candidate Mr. Lai is trying to win a third consecutive term in power for his party, something no party has achieved since Taiwan adopted direct presidential elections in 1996. He has vowed to stick with the leader’s approach current President Tsai Ing-wen: keep Beijing at arm’s length as she seeks to avoid conflict and strengthen ties with the United States and other democracies.
Since Tsai became president eight years ago, China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan. Chinese planes and warships regularly test Taiwan’s military, and that intimidation could increase, at least for a time, if Lai wins. The Chinese Communist Party has especially vilified Lai, who earlier in his career called himself a “practical worker” for Taiwanese independence.
Hou has promised to ease tensions with Beijing, arguing that stronger ties with China – through trade, tourism and public interaction – would help reduce the risk of conflict over Taiwan’s future. But even a victory for Hou would not dispel the deep political differences between Taipei and Beijing.
The winner of Taiwan’s presidential election may also have to deal with complicated politics in the island’s 113-member legislature, which also goes to voters on Saturday. Polls have indicated that the DPP is likely to lose its current majority of lawmakers, and that the nationalists may not gain a new majority, possibly giving the Taiwan People’s Party a powerful role in the legislature.
