Five parties eligible for subsidies after gaining over 3.5% of votes

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Five political parties in Taiwan have obtained more than 3.5 percent of the total number of votes cast in Saturday's legislative election and are therefore eligible to collect NT$50 (US$1.49) per vote annually over the next four years, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said.

A record 18 political parties competed in the legislative elections and four of them -- the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Kuomintang (KMT), People First Party (FPF), and New Power Party (NPP) -- got more than the 5 percent of the total votes, becoming eligible to be allocated at-large legislative seats and to gain the election subsidy, CEC statistics showed.

The New Party, meanwhile, whose 4.18 percent vote gain passed the 3.5 percent threshold, will also get the subsidy although it will not obtain any at-large legislative seats.

According to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, any political party that gains over 3.5 percent of the votes cast in a legislative election is eligible for an annual subsidy of NT$50 per vote over a four-year term.

It is estimated that the DPP will be able to collect NT$268.54 million per year, given that it garnered more than 5.37 million votes in Saturday's legislative election, while the KMT can claim NT$164.04 million, and the PFP NT$39.74 million.

The New Power Party will be eligible to collect NT$37.21 million per year, and the New Party NT$25.5 million.