Taiwan's ruling party proposes vote recount legislation
TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwan's ruling party Tuesday proposed resolving the dispute over President Chen Shui-bian's narrow re-election victory by passing new legislation that would allow an immediate recount of Saturday's close vote.
But opposition lawmakers who hold a slim majority in the legislature quickly dismissed the proposal, saying it was unnecessary because the government could order a recount now, even without the legislation.
Chen's challenger Lien Chan has alleged there were spoiled ballots in the election and has suggested that a mysterious shooting that lightly wounded the incumbent one day before the polls may have been staged to gain sympathy votes.
Lien has offered little specific evidence to back up either allegation.
But the dispute has sent thousands of Lien supporters onto the streets to demand a recount, plunging Taiwan into a political crisis and spooking stock markets across Asia.
Taiwan's courts have said it could take up to six months to respond to Lien's demand for a recount and his separate attempt to nullify the election, meaning the crisis could drag on for months.
Chen's Democratic Progressive Party on Tuesday proposed legislation to trigger a recount when a candidate wins by less than 1 percent of the votes. The party said the law could be applied retroactively to Saturday's election.
"We hope it can pass today so the protesters can return home,'' said Chen Chi-mai, a DPP caucus leader.
But opposition lawmakers dismissed the proposed legislation, saying it was unnecessary and accusing the ruling party of trying to delay the recount.
Hsieh Chang-chieh, of the People First Party, said that the government could easily order an immediate recount by simply making a phone to the Central Election Commission.
"If you want to delay, the social cost will rise,'' Hsieh said.
The president, who campaigned on a platform of standing up to China, won the vote with only 50.1 percent of the ballots, while Chan, who pushed a more conciliatory approach toward mainland leaders, got 49.9 percent.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, a key Lien supporter, told reporters Tuesday that he would not disperse the protesters who have been camping out in front of the Presidential Office for the past three days to demand a recount.
A few hundred were there in the morning, but the crowd has been swelling to about 10,000 in the evening after people get off work and leave school.
"We have to protect the people's right to make an appeal'' as long as the demonstrators remain peaceful, said Ma, a senior leader in Lien's Nationalist Party.
"The best way to end the protest is for our government to respond to their demand in a sincere way,'' Ma told reporters.
Lien's campaign has been saying in e-mails and news releases to the media that the vote was affected by the election-eve shooting. Police still have no suspects in the attack, which lightly wounded the president and Vice President Annette Lu. - AP
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