Following presentations at today's Cabinet meeting by the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on preparations for January 2020's presidential and legislative election, Premier Su Tseng-chang noted that Taiwan garnered Asia's top score in a report last week by the CIVICUS Monitor, and stands as the region's sole "free" nation. This exceptional accomplishment should inspire all citizens to value the power of their votes. Every election is an opportunity to choose talented leaders who will serve the country and the people, and advance progress and prosperity for Taiwan. The premier encouraged voters to also use their ballots to preserve the nation's treasured freedom and democracy.
The upcoming election has set a new record for the number of registered candidates, Premier Su said, and maintaining order will be an arduous task. The premier directed law enforcement agencies to increase intelligence gathering on potential threats and take the initiative to respond in real time. Full resources should be deployed to prevent violent disruptions, with police assigning forces and adapting tactics as needed. Providing security for candidates and the personnel of organizations involved will also be a priority. With only 30 days to go before voting begins, responsible ministries and agencies must be sure to complete all necessary preparations, and ensure that the election runs smoothly, said the premier.
The CEC stated that as part of comprehensive preparations, improved education and training for poll workers will be complemented by additional polling and tabulation stations. A total of 17,226 locations will be set up in January 2020, in comparison to the 2018 election's 15,886, which will bring down the voting population served by each station to 1,200. The CEC also said that for the first time a central election command and response center will be operating on election day to guarantee that voting proceeds without incident.
According to the MOI, the election's official campaign activity period is set to begin December 14, when large-scale events will be launched and candidates will take to the streets courting voters. Police agencies, in addition to following National Security Bureau protocols to form security teams protecting presidential and vice presidential candidates, will also uphold the principle of administrative neutrality in providing for the safety of all legislative candidates and campaign events, regardless of party affiliation. The MOI called on all citizens to abide by the law in a peaceful and rational manner, and to be prudent when posting opinions and circulating articles online by ensuring the veracity of the information to avoid legal consequences.
The MOJ said its work for this election focuses on investigating bribery, preventing violence, blocking financing from foreign sources, cracking down on election betting, and combating disinformation. Regarding election betting, the ministry has launched three rounds of investigative operations nationwide this year, arresting 17 suspects in 12 cases as of December 9. The MOJ will also launch operations combating bribery and violence to prevent such criminal activity from undermining Taiwan's democratic rule of law and to protect the nation's democratic foundations.