2004 Taiwanese presidential election
After several weeks of very public infighting between various factions of the DPP, Chen formally nominated Lu as his running mate on December 11.Members of the electorate who were influenced greatly by either independence or unification were loyal iron votes for the Pan-Green or Pan-Blue coalitions respectively, so the goal of both campaigns was to capture the moderate middle.As the election approached, the tone of campaigning became increasingly negative, with charges of tax evasion, draft dodging, illegal financial transactions, and domestic violence on the part of Lien Chan.Most analysts believe that the voters from North America would be split evenly between the two candidates, but that those from mainland China voted overwhelmingly for Pan-Blue.Worries about this have caused the United States at several points to ask for, and receive assurances that Chen has not abandoned the Four Noes and One Without policy.The Pan-Green Coalition raised the issue of Lien Chan's personal wealth and the properties which they asserted that the Kuomintang had illegally acquired while it was the ruling party.In March 2004, as the campaign was winding down, a series of posters comparing Chen to Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden were released by the Pan-Blue Coalition, creating controversy.[2][3] Most observers believed that the People's Republic of China (PRC) would have preferred to see Chen Shui-bian replaced by an administration less sympathetic to Taiwan independence and more in favor of Chinese unification.The trip in November 2003, also alarmed the PRC in that it appeared to convince them that the United States would do less to constrain Chen Shui-bian than they had earlier believed.What we care about is the winner's attitude towards cross-Taiwan Strait relations and national reunification," and PRC issued instructions to local officials not to allow Taiwanese businessmen to openly campaign on the mainland.The main figures from the Pan-Green Coalition, including Chen Shui-bian and former president Lee Teng-hui, initiated the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally, in which more than two million people joined hands from the very north of Taiwan to south to form an unbroken human chain.Although billed as non-political, some of the symbolism of the demonstration, particularly the point in the event where participants "turn away from China," veered clearly toward support of Taiwan independence, and hence was not attended by members of the Pan-Blue Coalition.In response to declining polls numbers, the Pan-Blue coalition quickly organized a program of major rallies near the end of the election.The two million people attending beat gongs and made other noise and shouted "Change the President, save Taiwan" at 3:20 PM, in reference to the election date.Ten minutes later, Lien after giving a speech in Taipei which heavily talked about the need to love Taiwan and defend it, unexpectedly lay down prone on the ground kissing it with his wife and KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng.This led to criticism from some other Buddhist leaders that his blunt condemnation of Chen broke the convention that religious figures remain politically neutral.At first both believed that they had been hit by firecrackers, which are commonly used in Taiwanese political activities; the first sign of something more serious was when Chen noticed that he was bleeding from the abdomen, and that there was a bullet hole in the window.On Internet chat rooms and talk radio, some Pan-Blue supporters theorized that the incident was faked in order for Chen to gain sympathy votes.These speculations were, however, considered highly offensive by Pan-Green supporters, and were not condoned by the Pan-Blue leadership until after Chen won the election.On the next day, the KMT filed several lawsuits in major cities and Lien led 20,000 supporters in a march to the presidential office and staged an all night sit-in.Protesters continued to camp on Ketagalan Boulevard outside the presidential office, despite Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's calls on Sunday night to have people return to work.The Pan-Blue coalition demanded a recount by an executive order, bypassing the legislature; Chen claimed he had no such right, and that doing so would amount to declaring martial law.On March 29, Chen and Lu signed letters promising not to contest the newly re-filed Pan-Blue petition for a recount, bypassing a lengthy judicial inquiry.By April 7, a procedural agreement for the recount still had not been reached and Pan-Blue held another rally the following Saturday, this time more than 100,000 strong.
Chen Shui-bianLien ChanKuomintangAnnette LuJames SoongPolitics of TaiwanGovernmentConstitution of the Republic of ChinaAdditional Articles of the ConstitutionTaxationPresident of the Republic of ChinaLai Ching-teVice President of the Republic of ChinaHsiao Bi-khimOffice of the PresidentNational Security CouncilExecutiveExecutive YuanPremierCho Jung-taiVice PremierCheng Li-chunLegislatureLegislative Yuan11th Legislative YuanPresident of the Legislative YuanHan Kuo-yuVice President of the Legislative YuanJohnny ChiangJudiciaryJudicial YuanPresident of the Judicial Yuan and Chief JusticeShieh Ming-yanSupreme CourtHigh CourtsDistrict CourtsExamination YuanPresident of the Examination YuanVice President of the Examination YuanControl YuanPresident of the Control YuanChen ChuVice President of the Control YuanLocal governmentMayors and MagistratesElectionsCentral Election CommissionPresidential electionsLegislative electionsLocal electionsReferendumsPolitical partiesDemocratic Progressive PartyTaiwan People's PartyNew Power PartyTaiwan Statebuilding PartyPeople First PartyTaiwan Solidarity UnionNew PartyNon-Partisan Solidarity UnionGreen Party TaiwanMass mediaTelevisionNewspapersUnited Daily NewsLiberty TimesChina TimesTaipei TimesPropagandaCensorshipWhite TerrorForeign relationsMinistry of Foreign AffairsForeign MinisterLin Chia-lungCross-Strait relationsSpecial state-to-state relationsOne Country on Each Side1992 ConsensusTaiwan consensusChinese TaipeiAustralia–Taiwan relationsCanada–Taiwan relationsFrance–Taiwan relationsRussia–Taiwan relationsTaiwan–United Kingdom relationsTaiwan–United States relationsTaiwan and the World Health OrganizationPolitical status of TaiwanRepublic of China (1912–1949)Chinese Civil WarOne-China policyChina and the United NationsChinese unificationTaiwan independence movementTaiwanese nationalismTangwai movementThird Taiwan Strait CrisisTaiwanconsultative referendum took place on the same dayPeople's Republic of China2003 Democratic Progressive Party presidential primarySu Tseng-changKaohsiungFrank HsiehPan-Green CoalitionPan-Blue Coalition2000 presidential electionFeng Shui2001 legislative electionpolitical spectrumTaiwan independenceiron votesone country, two systemsUnder the Roof of One Chinaeconomydomestic violenceNorth Americamainland ChinamainlandersTaiwanese aborigines228 Hand-in-Hand Rallyconstitutionpeace referendumUnited StatesFour Noes and One Without