TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The publication and discussion of opinion polls will be banned from Jan. 3, during the final 10 days of the election campaign, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said Friday (Dec. 15).
On Jan. 13, an estimated 19.5 million voters will have the right to choose a president, vice president, and 113 legislators, though the precise total will be announced on Jan. 9. The total includes 1.028 million first-time voters, according to the CEC.
They will vote at a record number of 17,794 voting centers across the country, per CNA. The CEC on Friday announced the official campaign period as running from Saturday (Dec. 16) until Jan. 12, each day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The election body also confirmed the names of the three presidential candidates and their running mates. As determined by a drawing on Dec. 11:
- Taiwan People’s Party candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his running mate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) will be listed as No. 1 on the ballot
- Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) as No. 2
- and Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) and running mate Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) as No. 3
CEC Chair Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) emphasized the need for balanced reporting by the media, and for campaign ads to carry information about their sponsors.
