At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, the Central Election Commission, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice delivered briefings on the November 26 nine-in-one local elections. The elections will also feature a referendum on amending the constitution so that all citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote and stand for public office.
Premier Su Tseng-chang said that the upcoming elections are multifaceted and complex, with a large number of candidates running for office and a record high of over 17,600 polling stations opening across the nation. As such, the logistics of the elections and the associated security operations will face their most difficult challenge in years. The premier directed relevant government agencies to conduct all necessary preparatory work to ensure fair and impartial elections.
We have now entered the final days before the elections, the premier said, which is also the peak period for buying votes. The government must quickly detect and resolve suspected cases of vote buying, enforcing strict prosecution where appropriate to provide a deterrent effect. The premier directed prosecutorial, police, investigatory and anti-corruption authorities to continue employing all possible means to crack down on illegal activities including vote buying, gambling on election outcomes, and election disinformation, so as to ensure clean and fair elections.