ianroo

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Taiwan voters overwhelmingly elected
Nationalist Party candidate Ma Ying-jeou to be president on
Saturday, apparently choosing the promise of economic growth
through closer ties with China over fears that those ties to the
mainland could lead to a loss of independence.


Ma, whose campaign touted the economic benefits of better relations
 with China, defeated the Democratic Progressive Party's Frank
Hsieh, who advocated going slower and holding back in some
areas.


Taiwan's central election commission projected that Ma Ying-jeou
had won more than 58 percent versus Frank Hsieh's 41 percent,
with most of the votes counted.


His margin of victory was the largest in the history of Taiwan's
presidential races. 


Ma's vote total topped the 7 million mark, a point at which it would
be mathematically impossible for him to lose, the commission said.


The commission estimated that 75 percent of Taiwan's eligible
voters cast ballots in the presidential race.


"People want a clean a government instead of a corrupt one," Ma,
also a former justice minister, told The Associated Press. 


"They want a good economy, not a sluggish one. They don't want
political feuding. They want peace across the Taiwan Strait. No
war."


Hsieh, a former premier, conceded defeat in front of unhappy
supporters, AP reported.


"Don't cry for me today," Hsieh said. "Although we lost the
election, we have a more important mission. The torch of
democracy should not be extinguished." 


While Ma was considered the frontrunner throughout the campaign,
 the recent crackdown on anti-Chinese protests in Tibet was used by
 the opposition in an effort to convince voters that there was danger
in dealing with China.


Hsieh, pointing to China's crackdown on Tibet, said the same thing
 could happen to Taiwan if it gets too close to Beijing. Ma isagreed.


"Taiwan is not Tibet. Neither it is Hong Kong. We are a sovereign
 country and a democratic country."


The mainland Chinese government has made clear that closer ties
would only be a first step -- it considers Taiwan, on the island of
Formosa southeast of the mainland, an inseparable part of China and
 constantly pushes for eventual reunification.


During the election, voters also voted down a referendum on
Taiwan joining the United Nations. 


President George W. Bush congratulated Ma on Saturday and said
the United States would "maintain close unofficial ties" with Taiwan.


"The maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the
 welfare of the people on Taiwan remain of profound importance to
 the United States," Bush said in a statement.


"It falls to Taiwan and Beijing to build the essential foundations for
peace and stability by pursuing dialogue through all available means
and refraining from unilateral steps that would alter the cross-Strait
situation.


"I believe the election provides a fresh opportunity for both sides to
 reach out and engage one another in peacefully resolving their
differences." 


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覺得最好笑的是布希幹嘛特別要強調"UNofficial ties"
感覺話中有話就是了...
Anyway, 大選過後，只希望一切恢復平靜，台灣回到正軌，
希望新總統真的能夠實現他的承諾好好的把台灣的經濟重新帶起來，
畢竟台灣最近實在太多的風風雨雨，該好好的整頓一下才是。

Heading forward, Taiwan!!