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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