Taiwan president wins 2nd term
TAIPEI — Taiwan voters reelected incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday, endorsing his push for closer ties with Beijing and removing a potential irritant in Sino-us relations as those two powers head for a year of political transition.
The election had been expected to be tight, but the Central Election Commission said the Nationalist Party's Ma Ying-jeou won about 51.6 per cent of the vote versus about 45.6 per cent for Tsai Ing-wen of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
"In the next four years, cross-strait relations will be more peaceful, with greater mutual trust and the chance of conflict will be less," Ma, 61, told thousands of his supporters, many clapping, waving red and blue Taiwan flags and cheering in the pouring rain outside the party headquarters in downtown Taipei.
There was no official comment from Beijing, but the Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, welcomed the outcome.
The election outcome would be a relief to China. The opposition DPP'S independ- ence-leaning stance has long angered Beijing, even though Tsai had tried to distance herself from that position in the campaign. Analysts had said a DPP win would have put ties with China in limbo, and sharpened Beijing's differences with the United States.
The Nationalist Party also won a clear majority in parliament, which should give Ma a fillip in pushing through policy. The election commission said the Nationalists won 64 seats in the 113-member legislature, although that is also lower than the 81 seats they had in the outgoing house.
"We will continue to let economic growth flourish, protect cross-strait peace and friendly relations to achieve more concrete results in cooperation in important areas," said Lien Chan, the honorary chairman of the Nationalists.
But in an acknowledgement of the reduced majority, he added: "We need to discuss thoroughly the criticism the voters have handed to us."
Nearly 200,000 Taiwanese returned from overseas for the poll according to local media reports, cramming flights in a last minute rush. — Reuters