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SCMP Reporters

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing in our New Year Flash Sale.
The campaigning and the counting is over in Taiwan in one of the most closely watched elections this year.
The island’s voters cast their ballots to decide Vice-President William Lai Ching-te from the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – and not Hou Yu-ih from the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party, or Ko Wen-je from the newer Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) – will be Taiwan’s next leader.
The stakes are particularly high, with the results expected to shape cross-strait relations as well as US-China ties.


Reporting by Lawrence Chung, Kinling Lo, Amber Wang, Dewey Sim, Hayley Wong and Josephine Ma


As it happened: DPP’s William Lai wins Taiwan presidential election but party loses control of legislature

Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te (left) addresses supporters with his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim outside the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei after his win on Saturday. Photo: Elson Li

News

China

Politics

Lai took the lead early in the vote count and held on to it, keeping his rivals at bay
The results could make all the difference in relations across the Taiwan Strait and between Beijing and Washington


Lai took the lead early in the vote count and held on to it, keeping the KMT and TPP candidates at bay.


Taiwan election 2024

Taiwan

William Lai

Live

As with previous presidential elections, this year’s race sees rivals from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT) face off in what is shaping up to be a tight race.
But in the mix this time is a third candidate: Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
There were talks late last year about a possible Beijing-friendly opposition alliance between the KMT and TPP but they collapsed and paved the way for a three-cornered fight.
For more background, read up on our election coverage of the three presidential hopefuls, Beijing’s position on the race, and how the electorate will likely vote.


The candidates

Voting in Taiwan’s elections kicked off at 8am on Saturday at more than 17,600 polling stations across the island.
According to the Central Election Commission, some 19.54 million Taiwanese citizens are eligible to vote for a new leader.
Those aged 40-49 make up the biggest voting group, accounting for 3.88 million voters, or close to 20 per cent of the electorate.
More than 1 million people, or about 6 per cent of eligible voters, will be casting their ballots for the first time.
Turnout for Taiwan’s presidential elections has generally been high. The 2020 election – where President Tsai Ing-wen scored a decisive victory to secure her second term – drew 74.9 per cent of the electorate, up from 66.27 per cent in 2016.


Who are the voters?

Ahead of the polls, Beijing on Thursday urged voters to “make the right choice at the crossroads of cross-strait relations”, saying the DPP’s William Lai would further promote separatist activities if elected.
Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory that must be reunited, by force if necessary, and it has repeatedly warned against US interference in Taiwan. Most countries, including the United States, do not see Taiwan as an independent state.
Washington has repeatedly stressed it does not take sides and does not have a preferred candidate but said – in what appeared to be a message to Beijing – that it opposed any outside interference and influence.


Cross-strait crossroads

Voting in Taiwan has proceeded smoothly with only minor offences reported.
These offences include voters bringing cell phones into polling stations to take photos of ballot papers and voters tearing up ballot papers after making a mistake.
Voters formed long queues at polling stations across the island to cast ballots, suggesting turnout could exceed the 74.9 per cent reported in the 2020 presidential election.
In addition to three candidates running for the island’s top post, more than 328 candidates from at least 10 political parties, including the DPP, KMT and TPP, are vying for the 79 legislative seats in the island’s 22 cities and counties.
In all, 177 candidates from 16 political parties are vying for the at-large seats.
The successful candidates will form a new 113-seat legislature expected to convene in late February, while the president-elect will assume office on May 20.



Smooth start

Taiwan’s presidential hopefuls and political heavyweights arrived early at polling stations to cast their votes.
President Tsai Ing-wen was seen with the DPP’s candidate for vice-president, Hsiao Bi-khim, in New Taipei City.
Tsai urged Taiwanese citizens to turn up and do their part in a democratic society, saying they could decide the future of the island with their vote, according to the Central News Agency.



Early voting

Mainland Chinese state media have made few references to Taiwan’s elections on polling day.
However, “The US must not interfere in the elections in the Taiwan region in any form” is among the trending topics on mainland social media platform Weibo, attracting more than 37 million views.


View from the mainland

In Taiwan, more than 400 journalists from around the world have converged on the island to cover the elections.
According to the island’s foreign ministry, news outlets from the United States and its allies have sent 217 journalists to cover the event.
Eighty-two Taiwan-based journalists from these media outlets also involved in the coverage, the ministry says.



Outside looking in

With her children at a polling station in Taipei, Wang Yu-hsin, 42, says she voted for the DPP’s Lai for president as she believes he “looks better” than other candidates on the international stage.
“I think our president affects how other people think about Taiwan. If the candidate has only been a city mayor or a local level official, I doubt whether he or she will be eloquent enough to represent us.”

Oscar Li, 34, an interior designer, says he voted for the Kuomintang as he wants to see another political party in charge after eight years of governance under the DPP.
“I think all political parties are pretty corrupt, but if we see a change, at least there is a chance for things to be better.”



Decision time

Mainland Chinese social media platform Weibo blocked a hashtag on Taiwan’s election soon after it became one of the site’s top-trending topics.
Searches for the hashtag “Taiwan election 2024” generate the notice: “In accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed.”
Some posts about the election can still be found, but discussions following posts using the hashtag are hidden.
“Elections in Taiwan district today” is also one of the most searched items on Baidu.


Hashtag blocked

The result of Saturday’s election would determine Taiwan’s cross-strait policy in the years to come.
But it is also expected to create geopolitical ripples in the region and have an impact on US-China relations.
In this Post explainer, we looked at why Taiwan matters so much to both Beijing and Washington, including the significance of its location and its chip industry, as well as Beijing’s hopes for “national rejuvenation”.
Why does Taiwan matter so much to both mainland China and the US?


Ripples in the region

Citing a need for a “combat-readiness rotation”, Taiwan’s defence ministry has cancelled a flight that had been scheduled to take some Quemoy residents from Taipei to the island to vote.
The offshore islands of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, lie roughly 10km east of the mainland city of Xiamen.
The Beijing-friendly KMT traditionally has a majority of supporters in Quemoy.
More than 60 residents were affected, according to Taiwanese media outlet China Times.


Cancelled flight

The polling station in Taipei’s Tienyu neighbourhood is expected to be a centre of attention again as the results of its vote count have long been seen as a bellwether of the overall count.
In the Taipei mayoral election two years ago, the station reported 41.73 per cent of the votes for Wayne Chiang Wan-an, less than 1 percentage point off Chiang’s final winning tally.
In 2020 when President Tsai Ing-wen ran for re-election, the station reported a vote count of 55.31 per cent for Tsai, close to her 57 per cent share of the overall count.


Local signal

Senior Beijing envoy Liu Jianchao met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the State Department in Washington on Friday, just hours before polls opened in Taiwan.
Liu called the meeting constructive, while, according to the State Department, Blinken “reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea”.

Blinken also met Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Washington on Friday.
Kamikawa said both sides “underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and urged a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues”.


Meanwhile in Washington ...

Voting has officially ended in Taiwan, and counting of the ballots is expected to begin immediately.
The final result of Taiwan’s presidential election will likely be known this evening.
Taiwanese media are reporting that supporters from all three candidates have started gathering at their respective headquarters as they await preliminary results.



The count begins

Voters and candidates head to the ballot box.




Watch: voters and candidates

Counting is under way at the Tiamu primary school in Taipei’s Tienyu neighbourhood.
The station is called an “octopus station” in reference to “Paul the Octopus”, which was known for its accurate football match “predictions”.
The polling station is the biggest in Shilin district and the results here have largely tracked those of previous presidential and local elections.




‘Octopus station’

Taiwan’s defence ministry says it detected two more balloons flying across the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
One of the balloons was spotted at 2.35pm on Friday and the other one at 3.29am on Saturday.
They flew eastward but disappeared from view within a few hours of being detected.


Cross-strait balloons

Half an hour after the start of the count, the DPP’s William Lai leads in most Taiwanese TV vote tallies.
Hou Yu-ih from the KMT and Ko Wen-je from the TPP are vying for second place.
The final result will be announced by the Central Election Commission later tonight.
CTV News reports the turnout at one of the polling stations in New Taipei City is expected to be a record 85 per cent.
The 2020 elections attracted 74.9 per cent of eligible voters while 66.27 per cent cast ballots in 2016.


Initial signs

Watch live: the ballot count

Thousands of supporters of TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je have gathered outside his election campaign office in New Taipei City to watch the election results come in.



Turning out for Ko

Hundreds of Lai’s supporters have converged in front of the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei, generating thunderous applause each time a vote count update shows him in the lead.
“I am pretty sure he will win the race,” one supporter surnamed Lin says. “He is far better than Hou or Ko who would only steer the country to doom.”
Another supporter says he has “100 per cent confidence that Lai Ching-te will win”, forecasting the candidate to gain at least 1 million votes more than his opponents.
Vote counts by several local news media outlets show that all three candidates in the race have more than 2 million votes each with Lai remaining in the lead.
The Central Election Commission’s official tally shows fewer than 35,000 votes as of 5.26pm.



High hopes at DPP HQ

In New Taipei City, Ko Wen-je supporter Huang says he is not disappointed with the results, even though Ko is trailing.
“The votes Ko got are already way more than I expected given his resources as a third-party candidate,” 45-year-old Huang says.
“Not every vote has to be about going to a winning candidate.
“I want my vote to reflect that I am unhappy with both big parties and to encourage Ko and other people who want to take part in politics that there is support for a third voice.”



‘More than expected’

Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou declined to comment as he cast his ballot in Taipei.
Before going to the polling station he made a short trip to Taoyuan to the south of the city to pay his respects on the 36th anniversary of the death of president Chiang Ching-kuo.
Ma, who tried to broker a lasting KMT-TPP ticket, did not appear in Hou Yu-ih’s final rally on Friday night, with Hou’s camp concerned that an appearance might backfire.
Earlier in an interview, Ma said people should trust Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The comments drew harsh criticism from Taiwan-centric voters.


Muted Ma Ying-jeou

Election workers tally up the votes after polls close.




Watch: the tally in action

Two hours after the close of polls and roughly 2 million votes have been officially tallied by the Central Election Commission.
As of 6.20pm Lai holds on to a healthy lead with 862,048 votes, or 43 per cent of the total.
Hou follows with 669,902, or 33.4 per cent, while Ko has more than 475,000 votes, or 23.7 per cent.
Lai is also leading the pack, according to multiple Taiwanese media outlets, with vote tallies of close to 8 million.



Lai’s lead holds

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is set to arrive at the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei at 8pm, Taiwanese media SET News reports.
If Lai wins the election, he will first hold a press conference for international media before giving his victory speech at the DPP event, according to the report.
Other Taiwanese media report that Lai is expected to reach the headquarters at 7.30pm.
Tsai has fervently campaigned for Lai in the lead-up to the election.


Tsai expected at HQ: report

KMT chairman Eric Chu has cancelled a press conference that was to take place at the party’s headquarters in Taipei.
KMT staff say he will only be speaking at the final rally in New Taipei City after the official election results are announced.
Meanwhile, the official vote count for the DPP’s Lai has surpassed 2 million.



Change of plans

The DPP’s William Lai has surpassed 5 million in the presidential vote count, with thousands of supporters at his campaign headquarters cheering the development.
Attracting about 40 per cent of the total so far, Lai is well ahead of his two rivals and in a growingly comfortable position to win the election.
More than 90 per cent of ballots have been tallied by the authorities.


5 million mark

The KMT’s Hou Yu-ih, who is second in the vote count, officially conceded at 8pm and congratulated Lai on his victory.
He told his supporters that he had let them down.
“I respect the ultimate choice by the Taiwanese people,” he says.




Hou concedes

Ko Wen-je, the TPP’s candidate, has begun his concession speech.
Thanking supporters, Ko says the TPP has become a “key opposition force”.
At 8.07pm, he had more than 3 million votes, or 26.33 per cent of the total.
Lai, from the DPP, is expected to address supporters at 8.30pm.


Ko thanks supporters

Thousands of DPP supporters have gathered outside the party’s headquarters in Taipei in anticipation of Vice-President Lai Ching-te’s declaration of victory.
On stage, DPP leaders shout: “Who is going to be the next president of Taiwan?”
“Lai Ching-te!” the crowd responds.



Waiting for Lai

Taiwanese presidential election winner William Lai addresses the media.




Watch live: Lai meets the press

The ruling DPP has lost control of the island’s legislature, with the projected to secure just 51 of 113 seats in contention.
The KMT is expected to win 52 seats and the TPP eight.
Votes are still being counted.
President-elect William Lai says the legislature result is less than ideal for the DPP, and signals the need for more dialogue with the opposition.


Legislature shift

Lai tries to strike a conciliatory chord in his victory speech.
“This election campaign has shown the world the Taiwanese people’s insistence on democracy, and such a voice I hope the other side of the Taiwan Strait can also fully understand,” Lai says.
Only dialogue and exchanges can reduce the risk of conflict, he adds.

“We must replace encirclement with exchanges, and confrontation with dialogue, in order to achieve peace and co-prosperity, and the only way out is to have peace, equality and a democratic dialogue,” he says.
“This is most in line with the interests of the people of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and is the only way for a win-win situation.”
