In Taipei, Hong Kong's best-known democrat, Martin Lee, leading a delegation to observe Taiwan's parliamentary and mayoral elections, hailed Taiwan's 21 million people for electing all of their lawmakers and senior officials -- something Hong Kong's people are denied, Reuters reports. Lee said Taiwan's reunion with the mainland would best be assured through China- wide democratization. "How can you persuade the Taiwan people to reunify," Lee said, "when they know right after reunification they will not have democracy?"

In Beijing, Li Peng, chairman of the National People's Congress and former Prime Minister, ruled out allowing opposition political parties, the China News reports. Speaking from the Great Hall of the People, Li insisted, China's road to democracy "is not patterned on the Western approach that features the separation of powers, multiple parties and privatization." He gave a clear warning that dissidents would not be allowed to register political parties. Claiming that the Communist Party is, "the leader of the revolution and nation building," Li said that any group "designed to go for the multi-party system and trying to negate the leadership of the Communist Party, will not be allowed to exist."

On the eve of Taiwan's parliamentary and mayoral elections, enthusiastic crowds, waving banners and flags, filled the streets of Taipei and Kaosihung to cheer candidates for the ruling Kuomintang [KMT] Party and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive [DPP] Party, the China Post reports. Some 15 million eligible voters will choose from 402 candidates to fill 176 seats up for direct election in the 225 seat Parliament. The other 49 seats are distributed based on the percentage of the general vote received by each party.

An 80 percent voter turn-out resulted in the ruling KMT Party winning a clear majority in the parliament, as well as the mayor's seat in Taipei, the Washington Post reports. The result is seen as a reward for President Lee Teng-hui's [KMT] administration policy of limited engagement with China and steady economic policies that have enabled Taiwan to avoid the region's financial crisis. The KMT received 46 percent of the vote, compared to 29.5 percent for the DPP and 7 percent for the New Party. In the important Taipei mayoral contest, KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeu, a Harvard-educated lawyer, won a hard-fought victory over popular incumbent mayor Chen Shui-ban, who was expected to be the DPP presidential candidate in 2000. The Post adds, regional analysts claim the results showed a level-headed maturity by Taiwan voters who supported the KMT's policy of firmness with the Chinese Communists, endorsing union with China only if it democratizes and treats Taiwan as an equal in negotiations.

Chinese police raided the home of pro-democracy campaigner, Zhao Baoqin, who became the ninth member of the China Democracy Party taken into custody during a week-long nation-wide crackdown on the group.

Copyright © 2000, American Foreign Policy Council.
All Rights Reserved.

The American Foreign Policy Council
1521 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 Email: afpc@afpc.org Phone: 202-462-6055 Fax: 202-462-6045
	Copyright © 2000, American Foreign Policy Council. All Rights Reserved.
Site Designed and developed by pshWizards