Pro-American Minjin Party and Pro-China Gungmin Party Candidates in Close Race
Total 20 Million Voters Aged 20 and Over
The voting for the 16th Taiwan presidential election, the first presidential election of 2024 worldwide, began at 8 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Korean time) on the 13th.
According to the Central Election Commission of Taiwan, the election is being held at 17,795 polling stations across Taiwan.
The 16th presidential election in Taiwan began voting at 8 a.m. on the 13th. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
Among Taiwan's total population of about 24 million, there are 19.55 million eligible voters aged 20 and above. They must go to their registered household address to exercise their voting rights.
Since many general voters currently reside in places different from their registered household addresses, a large number of people are expected to travel for voting on this day.
As there is no absentee voting system, many overseas Taiwanese nationals are reported to have entered the country ahead of the election day.
The election, which runs until 4 p.m., will elect the president and vice president as well as 113 legislators (members of the Legislative Yuan). This combined presidential and legislative election marks the eighth time since 1996 that the president has been directly elected by the citizens in Taiwan, which previously experienced Kuomintang dictatorship.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) have alternated in power every eight years. The Taiwan president serves a four-year term and can be re-elected once. If this alternating pattern is broken, the DPP could potentially hold long-term power for up to 16 years.
Especially since Taiwan is located in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea amid the US-China hegemonic competition and is home to the world's largest foundry, TSMC, at the center of the global semiconductor supply chain, the world’s attention is focused on the election results.
Voting is scheduled to close at 6 p.m. Korean time (4 p.m. local time) on the same day.
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