Here’s to a Free and Democratic Taiwan! 30 Years of Direct Presidential Elections
2026 / July
Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996. Thirty years on, we invite readers to experience Taiwan’s now-familiar electoral culture anew through culture and aesthetics. Japanese scholars Yoshiyuki Ogasawara and Masahito Watanabe have both described Taiwan’s elections as grand festivals—democratic carnivals that draw global attention. With the maturing of democracy, the robust energy of our ancestors who crossed the Taiwan Strait to make a life here has found full release in free-spirited engagement in public affairs.
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Featured Story
Taiwan: A Positive Force in the World
—An Interview with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung
On March 23, 1996, the people of Taiwan directly elected their own president for the first time—a major milestone in Taiwan’s democratic development. “Taiwan became a democracy only after enduring many tests,” says Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung. “In the face of the China threat, Ta......
Taiwan’s Democracy, by the Numbers:
From Democratic Experiment to Global Model
On March 23, 1996, Taiwan held its first direct election for president, with voter turnout of over 70%. This not only marked a reform of the political system, it symbolized that Taiwan’s transition to democracy was reaching maturity. Decades of social movements and political transformation hav......
Recollections:
Huang Wei Jung and the Search for Taiwan’s Identity
Martial law in Taiwan was lifted in 1987. That year, Huang Wei Jung had just entered his freshman year in college and for the first time truly felt the meaning of the word “freedom.” For example, it became possible to smoke on campus without worrying about the military instructors. In 1990 he ......
The Festive Rhythms of Taiwanese Politics
“In Japanese the character 政 [Mandarin zhèng, meaning ‘politics’ or ‘government’] is pronounced matsurigoto, the same as 祭典 [jìdiǎn, meaning ‘festival’]. And Taiwan’s elections are just like grand festive events.” “To use an example that Japanese people might easily understand, the atmosphere......
Kurt Lu and the Individual’s Place in National Affairs
In 1996, Taiwan held its first ever direct election for president. Kurt Lu, then still in university, was taken by some classmates to attend a campaign parade for Peng Ming-min. The next day, his father called him and asked: “Why did you join a parade?” “How did you find out?” “You were on the......
Carnivals of Democracy:
Redefining Election Aesthetics
Whenever there’s an election in Taiwan, local streets burst into activity with a bewildering array of campaign billboards, vehicles broadcasting slogans and soliciting votes, and enthusiastic voters waving flags or sounding their car horns. However, elections in Taiwan are not just characteriz......
Liu Yu-yu and the Meaning of Democracy
Liu Yu-yu, the mayor of Miaoli County’s Yuanli Township, was born in 1986. When we ask her about direct presidential elections, she responds that the one that made the deepest impression on her was the 2000 contest, won by Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu. “I come from a blue-collar family, not a......
Taiwan’s Democratic Values
—Observations from Foreign Journalist Eryk Michael Smith
” “Taiwan’s democracy is underappreciated by the international community.” —Eryk Michael Smith Eryk Michael Smith, an American journalist, has a long connection with Taiwan. In the 1980s he came to Taiwan with his parents, non-denominational Christian missionaries, and spent three or four ......
Going Beyond “Number One in Asia”
—Observations from Cédric Alviani of Reporters Without Borders
” “In Taiwan, there is still a general fear among the government, legislators, and politicians about voters’ opinions. I believe this is very healthy in a democracy.” —Cédric Alviani French national Cédric Alviani first arrived in Taiwan as a young man in early September of 2000. He was a......
Young People Seeking Dialogue amid Chaos
At the offices of the CK Potpourri magazine club at Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School, we speak with 16- and 17-year-olds about democracy. Their tone is not that of enthusiastic politically active young people, but of fatigued internet users. Second-year students Huang Qianhang and Weng S......
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