Protests Anew Over Taiwan Election

Hundreds of Taiwanese protesters scuffled with riot police, threw eggs and broke windows Friday as they stormed into the Central Election Commission's headquarters, where officials certified the results of last weekend's disputed presidential vote.

Police tried to push back the protesters, but refrained from using their clubs to stop them. Some demonstrators went up elevators to the commission offices, but most stayed in the lobby, hurling eggs at the wall and knocking down flowerpots. They stayed at the scene late into the evening.

Meanwhile, rival China issued its strongest warning since the election. The mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement it will not "look on unconcerned" if the post-election situation leads to "social turmoil, endangering lives and property of Taiwan compatriots and affecting stability across the Taiwan Straits."

Beijing has long insisted that self-ruled Taiwan belongs to China. It has threatened to take over the island if Taiwan ever slips into chaos.

The elections commission certified that President Chen Shui-bian won the March 20 election, the semiofficial Central News Agency reported.

Certifying the vote is merely a formality required by law within seven days of the election. Those who want to challenge the results can still do so within 30 days of the certification.

Some protesters said they thought once the vote results were official, the United States and other major nations would congratulate Chen, giving credibility to his victory.

Chen won by a margin of less than 0.2 percent. Challenger Lien Chan immediately demanded a re-count, alleging the vote was marred by irregularities, which he has yet to clearly document.

Lien has also said that the vote was unfairly influenced by an unexplained election-eve shooting that wounded the president and his running mate.

On Friday, police for the first time released a picture of a possible shooting suspect. The grainy security camera image showed a balding man in a yellow jacket hurrying away from the shooting in the southern city of Tainan. He got on a motorcycle parked in an alley and sped away.

"He is not a suspect yet, but there are some suspicions," said Wang Wen-chung, a deputy police chief in Tainan. Wang urged the man to report to police, and asked the public to help identify him.

Chen has agreed to a re-count of the vote, but lawmakers were arguing over how to amend election laws to get it done promptly. Negotiations began Friday, but they ended without a consensus.

"There's little hope of things getting passed soon," said ruling party lawmaker Jao Yung-ching, adding that legislators aren't ready to compromise yet.

Jao said he was "afraid people will only start reflecting about things after there is bloodshed or violence at the protest," planned for Saturday. The event is organized by the two main opposition parties: the Nationalists and the People First Party.

The opposition expects the rally in downtown Taipei, the capital, will draw about 500,000 people. They were expected to demand a re-count and an independent investigation into the shooting. The demonstrators will join hundreds who've been camped in front of the Presidential Office for six days.

There was scattered violence after last Saturday's election, though crowds in Taipei stayed relatively peaceful. But the ruling Democratic Progressive Party feared that could change this weekend.

The DPP held a news conference and urged its supporters to stay away from the protest, and to refrain from wearing hats or clothing with the party's logo.

DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang even advised supporters to remove party ornaments hanging from rearview car mirrors. The party feared gangsters might infiltrate the protest and incite violence.

"We believe that the leaders of the Nationalists and People First Party want to have a peaceful, orderly event," Tsai said, "but it seems that there are some people who are planning to start chaos and turmoil."

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, a popular Nationalist leader, appeared on television and appealed to people to remain peaceful.

"If there are irrational activities, we will lose the society's support, and the support will be most crucial for our success," he said.

But middle-aged homemaker Ann Chiao thought storming the Central Election Commission was a perfect rational thing to do for voters demanding fair elections.

"We don't care who the president is. We only want a fair election. That's why we came here. We only support clean elections," she said.