“Exercise your right as a citizen”: millions of voters go to the polls in Taiwan on Saturday to elect their next president, despite threats from China which claims the island and promises to “crush” any desire for independence.
Taiwanese media images show long lines at polling stations, which opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 4 p.m. On others we see Taiwanese returning to the country for the occasion, voting abroad is not authorized.
In 2020, participation was close to 75% in this territory of 23 million inhabitants located 180 kilometers from the Chinese coast and hailed as a model of democracy in Asia. The election is in one round and the results are expected in the evening.
“I think it’s a good thing that everyone can come and vote and exercise their rights as citizens,” Eve, 27, who came to participate from the opening, told AFP. “I looked into the ballot box and I felt that I had never been more excited than right now, because I believe that there is a candidate who can bring hope to the future of Taiwan,” also testifies Karen, a 54-year-old teacher, without revealing her choice.
Favorite of the vote, Vice-President Lai Ching-te, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is seen by Beijing as “a serious danger” because he is on the same line as the outgoing president, Tsai Ing-wen, who claims that the island is de facto independent.
It is since the latter’s election in 2016 that China has cut off all high-level communication with Taiwan, which it considers one of its provinces.
“Peace, not war”
Facing him, Hou Yu-ih, candidate of the Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition party, advocates a rapprochement with Beijing. The third candidate, Ko Wen-je, of the small Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), presents himself as anti-establishment.
Friday evening, the three candidates held their final meetings in front of tens of thousands of people.
“We want peace, not war,” proclaimed the colorful signs held up by supporters at the KMT meeting. But “if China declares war, I will stay in Taiwan,” promised Yoyo Chen, a 30-year-old tailor, at the DPP meeting. And “I will fight them, even if all I have left is a broomstick.”
All week, Beijing has increased its diplomatic and military pressure. On Thursday, five Chinese balloons again crossed the median line separating the autonomous island from China, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, which also spotted ten planes and six warships.
China called on voters to make “the right choice”. The Chinese army has promised to “crush” any desire for “independence” from Taiwan. “Frankly, Beijing should stop meddling in other countries’ elections and organize its own,” said Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
Lai Ching-te denounced “the Chinese principle of ‘one China’.” “Peace without sovereignty is just like Hong Kong,” warned the candidate.
“Paper Tiger”
The status of Taiwan is one of the most explosive subjects in the rivalry between China and the United States, the territory’s primary military supporter, and Washington plans to send an “informal delegation” to the island after the vote .
On Friday, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken met in Washington with Liu Jianchao, head of the international division of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He reminded him of the importance of “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” The Taiwanese are also voting to renew their Parliament, where the DPP could lose its majority.
“After eight years of DPP in power, it is really the time for change,” assured AFP a Taiwanese retiree, living for 20 years in the Chinese city of Xiamen, located opposite Taiwan.
Because “a new victory for the DPP would certainly worsen relations with China,” added the man, who said he had to take the ferry on Saturday to go vote. But in Taipei, Liu Pei-chi, a 40-year-old high school teacher, mocks Beijing, calling it a “paper tiger”.
“Once you understand their tricks, you are no longer afraid,” adds this DPP voter. “I hope I can defend my country, our democracy and make it known to the world. »
A conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be disastrous for the economy: the island supplies 70% of the planet’s semiconductors and more than 50% of the containers transported around the world pass through the strait.