
	Updated: 04 April 2008

Information on previous elections:

	January 2008 Legislative Yuan elections
	December 2004 Legislative Yuan elections
	March 2004 Presidential elections
	December 2001 Legislative Yuan elections
	March 2000 Presidential elections
	December 1998 Legislative Yuan and Mayoral elections
	November 1997 County Magistrate elections
	March 1996 Presidential Elections
	December 1995 Legislative elections
	December 1994 Mayoral elections
	November 1993 County Magistrate elections
	December 1992 Legislative Yuan Elections
	December 1989 Legislative Yuan and County Magistrate Elections
	Important events in Taiwan's history

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Taiwan's 2008 Presidential Elections

Ma Ying-jeou wins victory

Hsieh concedes defeat after hard-fought battle

Taiwan Central Election Commission: Official results of presidential election and UN referendums

Taiwan Communiqué no. 118: A full post-election analysis, and a retrospective on the UN referendum

On Saturday night, the outcome of the presidential elections was made public in Taipei: the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou won with 58.4% against 41.6% for the the DPP's Frank Hsieh. The voter turnout rate was approx. 76%. A total of 7.65 votes went to Ma, while Hsieh garnered 5.44 mln. votes.

During the last 10 days of the campaign, the gap between the two candidates had reduced considerably, but not enough to turn the tide.

The DPP referendum asking for support to apply for membership in the United Nations under the name Taiwan was voted on by some 6.2 mln. voters, and received overwhelming support with 94% of the valid votes in favor. However, since the referendum law in Taiwan sets an extremely high threshold for passage (50% of the registered voters) it formally did not pass. The KMT had urged its supporters to boycott the DPP referendum but had pushed its own referendum to "rejoin" the UN under the name "Republic of China" or "any other practical name". This referendum garnered less than 5 mln. yes votes.

Tibet, "counterclock" march, and "One China Common Market" major issues

The first development, which had an impact on the campaign, was China's brutal crackdown in Tibet following the demonstrations by Tibetan monks which started on March 10th. Both Taiwan's DPP government and Frank Hsieh's campaign were quick to react, saying that -- if Taiwan would move closer to China, as is being advocated by the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou -- "what happens in Tibet today could happen in Taiwan tomorrow."

The second development was the fact that on Sunday March 16th, the DPP was able to mobilize some 1.2 million people in an islandwide "counterclockwise" march, symbolizing the turn-the-tide campaign of the Hsieh headquarters. The large, enthusiastic crowds reinvigorated the campaign and served as a major boost, especially among the younger generation.

The third development was that on March 12th, four KMT legislators led by KMT Caucus whip Alex Fai barged into Hsieh's headquarters: they had taken it upon themselves to "investigate" whether Hsieh was paying rent. The intrusion was a stark reminder of the KMT's arrogance of power during the days of martial law and dearly cost Ma Ying-jeou -- who apologized profusely -- several percentage of votes.

A fourth issue which was making a significant difference in closing the gap was the "One China Common Market" concept, which had been touted by Mr. Ma Ying-jeou and his running mate Vincent Siew. For the past weeks, the DPP hit hard on this issue, and argued that open borders with China would lead to a flood of people and goods. On Wednesday, March 19th, a prominent former KMT official, Mr. Benjamin Lu (who served as head of Taiwan's Representative Office in DC in the 1990s, and subsequently headed Taiwan's office in Brussels) expressed his support for Hsieh's candidacy, and strongly criticized his former colleagues on this issue.

A final nudge in support of Hsieh was given by former President Lee Teng-hui, who declared on March 20th that he would vote for Hsieh. Lee said that in view of the KMT's control of the legislature, a vote for the KMT in the presidential elections would be "ill advised." He said that Taiwan's political system needs adequate checks and balances. Another prominent figure, Nobel Price winner Prof. Lee Yuan-tze, recently also endorsed the Hsieh candidacy.