Taiwan's Lien to demand new election poll
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-05 16:32

Lawyers of Taiwan's opposition candidate Lien Chan will file a lawsuit in the "High Court" later on Monday seeking to nullify the disputed March 20 election and hold a new poll.

Taiwan policewomen remove a supporter of Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party (KMT) in front of Chen Shui-bian's office in Taipei on April 4, 2004. [Reuters]

The lawyers would file the lawsuit at 0750 GMT, the opposition Nationalist Party said in a statement. It gave no more details.

Party leader Lien filed a separate lawsuit last week to contest Chen Shui-bian's narrow victory, citing as a primary reason a record 330,000 invalid ballots and voting irregularities.

The court held a hearing on Friday and gave the two sides five days to sort out terms of a vote recount.

Analysts said the likelihood of a new election were remote.

Top Police Resigns

Taiwan policemen remove a supporter of Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party (KMT) in front of Chen Shui-bian's office in Taipei on April 4, 2004. [Reuters]

The head of Taiwan's police force Monday became the third top official to offer to quit over the mysterious shooting and wounding of Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu on the eve of last month's disputed election.

Chang Si-liang, director-general of Taiwan’s police administration, told reporters Monday that he has submitted his resignation letter and was waiting for it to be approved.

Chang cited the mysterious shooting as his main reason for wanting to step down. ``I'm willing to bear all the responsibility myself,'' he said.

Two other officials earlier also offered to resign because of the shooting: “Interior Minister” Yu Cheng-hsien and the security bureau director Tsai Chao-ming.

Tsai's resignation has been accepted but that of Yu has not.

A bullet grazed Shui-bian's stomach and another hit Annette Lu's knee as they took part in a noisy campaign parade in an open Jeep in the southern city of Tainan.

Police have yet to identify a suspect, and opposition Nationalist candidate Lien Chan has said he won't accept the election's results until the shooting is fully investigated.

Many of Lien’s supporters have voiced their suspicion that Chen might have staged the shooting to win sympathy votes.

Chen has denied the shooting was a stunt.

Chen won the March 20 election by a margin of 0.2 percent or only 30,000 votes out of more than 13 million cast. He has agreed to Lien's demand for a vote recount.

But the two sides have yet to decide how to proceed and Taiwan's “High Court” has given the two camps until Wednesday to work out a procedure and method for a new tally.

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