Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TAIPEI273
2007-02-02 08:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:
Recount Ordered in Kaohsiung Mayoral Election
how-toVZCZCXRO6032 PP RUEHCN RUEHGH DE RUEHIN #0273 0330850 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 020850Z FEB 07 FM AIT TAIPEI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3992 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6329 RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0801 RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1680 RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5648 RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9981 RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7561
UNCLAS TAIPEI 000273
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: Recount Ordered in Kaohsiung Mayoral Election
REF: 2006 Taipei 4125
UNCLAS TAIPEI 000273
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: Recount Ordered in Kaohsiung Mayoral Election
REF: 2006 Taipei 4125
1. Summary: Kaohsiung District Court judges have decided to accept
defeated KMT mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying's request to recount
the ballots for the 2006 Kaohsiung City mayoral election. The
recount will start on March 12 and conclude on March 19. Huang has
been asked to submit a $136,363 fee, which will be refunded if he is
victorious in his lawsuit. A panel of judges will be appointed to
reexamine the ballots. End summary.
2. In response to the lawsuit filed by defeated Kuomingtang (KMT)
mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying (reftel),the Kaohsiung District
Court ruled on February 1 that the ballots used in the 2006
Kaohsiung City mayoral election will have to be recounted. The
recount is scheduled to start on March 12 and conclude on March 19.
Any ballots deemed questionable during the recount will be examined
by a panel of judges after March 19. A written ruling ordering the
recount is expected to be released within a week.
3. The Judges who ruled on the case gave the following reasons for
ruling in favor of the recount:
- an unusually large number of invalid votes (Note: 6,622 of the
767,862 votes were invalidated);
- a very narrow margin of victory (Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu
(DPP) won by 1,114 votes);
- the more than 4,000 votes identified as questionable by Huang
exceed the margin of victory;
- Huang has identified more than 100 voting booths with potentially
questionable votes (note: 839 total voting booths for the entire
election).
4. In order to carry out the recount, the court has requested that
Huang, the petitioner, deposit NTD4,500,000 (USD136,363) in an
account with the court. The fee, the amount that the recount is
estimated to cost, will be charged to the side that loses the
lawsuit. A panel of judges will examine each ballot and determine
whether or not a ballot is questionable; the three judges in charge
of the case will then reexamine those ballots set aside by the panel
of judges.
5. Huang praised the court's discretion and commended the
independence of the judiciary. Mayor Chen expressed her
disappointment with the ruling but said that she respects the
court's decision. Mayor Chen added that Taiwan has elections every
one or two years, and that it would be a waste of societal resources
if every loser were allowed to request a recount.
TTHIELE
WANG
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: Recount Ordered in Kaohsiung Mayoral Election
REF: 2006 Taipei 4125
1. Summary: Kaohsiung District Court judges have decided to accept
defeated KMT mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying's request to recount
the ballots for the 2006 Kaohsiung City mayoral election. The
recount will start on March 12 and conclude on March 19. Huang has
been asked to submit a $136,363 fee, which will be refunded if he is
victorious in his lawsuit. A panel of judges will be appointed to
reexamine the ballots. End summary.
2. In response to the lawsuit filed by defeated Kuomingtang (KMT)
mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying (reftel),the Kaohsiung District
Court ruled on February 1 that the ballots used in the 2006
Kaohsiung City mayoral election will have to be recounted. The
recount is scheduled to start on March 12 and conclude on March 19.
Any ballots deemed questionable during the recount will be examined
by a panel of judges after March 19. A written ruling ordering the
recount is expected to be released within a week.
3. The Judges who ruled on the case gave the following reasons for
ruling in favor of the recount:
- an unusually large number of invalid votes (Note: 6,622 of the
767,862 votes were invalidated);
- a very narrow margin of victory (Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu
(DPP) won by 1,114 votes);
- the more than 4,000 votes identified as questionable by Huang
exceed the margin of victory;
- Huang has identified more than 100 voting booths with potentially
questionable votes (note: 839 total voting booths for the entire
election).
4. In order to carry out the recount, the court has requested that
Huang, the petitioner, deposit NTD4,500,000 (USD136,363) in an
account with the court. The fee, the amount that the recount is
estimated to cost, will be charged to the side that loses the
lawsuit. A panel of judges will examine each ballot and determine
whether or not a ballot is questionable; the three judges in charge
of the case will then reexamine those ballots set aside by the panel
of judges.
5. Huang praised the court's discretion and commended the
independence of the judiciary. Mayor Chen expressed her
disappointment with the ruling but said that she respects the
court's decision. Mayor Chen added that Taiwan has elections every
one or two years, and that it would be a waste of societal resources
if every loser were allowed to request a recount.
TTHIELE
WANG