The ruling party candidate in Taiwan's presidential elections, Lai Ching-te, won the elections held today, Saturday. The candidate from the opposition Kuomintang Party, Ho Yo-eh, conceded his defeat. With this result, the "Democratic Progressive Party," which advocates for Taiwan's independent identity and rejects China's sovereignty claims, assumes power for the third consecutive term, a unprecedented occurrence in Taiwan's electoral system.
In brief statements made to reporters in the southern city of Tainan before voting, Lai encouraged citizens to cast their votes. He said, "Every vote counts, this is the democracy that Taiwan has earned through hard work."
Vote counting started in the presidential and parliamentary elections, which China described as "a choice between war and peace." The elections took place as Beijing intensified its pressure to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty. Polling stations closed at 4 PM local time (08:00 GMT), and manual counting began shortly thereafter.
