ELECTION 2024/Taiwan's 2024 presidential, legislative elections

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Voters in Taiwan headed to the polls Saturday to choose a new president and vice president as well as the legislators who will represent them over the next four years.

The 17,795 polling stations around Taiwan opened at 8 a.m., and voters will be able to cast their votes until 4 p.m., when election workers at each station will begin counting the votes.

Election day blog: Taiwan chooses a new president

Update

▶ DPP wins presidency but loses majority in Legislature

▶ No party gets legislative majority; small TPP to play key role

▶ KMT's Hou calls for national unity post-election

FEATURE/Taiwan may be a tech hub, but use of paper ballots steeped in history

Click here to read new developments following the polling day.

22:00

All polling stations reported.

① TPP's Ko Wen-je and Wu Hsin-ying 3,690,466 (26.46%)
② DPP's Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim 5,586,019 (40.05%)
③ KMT's Hou Yu-ih and Jaw Shaw-kong 4,671,021 (33.49%)

▶ DPP's Lai claims victory in Taiwan presidential election

▶ TPP's Ko urges supporters not to lose faith after election defeat

20:30

A total of 17,551, or 98.62%, of the 17,795 polling stations have reported.

① TPP's Ko Wen-je and Wu Hsin-ying 3,617,307 (26.42%)
② DPP's Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim 5,495,269 (40.14%)
③ KMT's Hou Yu-ih and Jaw Shaw-kong 4,576,870 (33.43%)

▶ KMT's Hou concedes defeat in Taiwan presidential election

19:30

More than 80 percent of the 17,795 polling stations -- 14,698 -- have reported their results.

① TPP's Ko Wen-je and Wu Hsin-ying 2,826,022 (25.87%)
② DPP's Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim 4,467,242 (40.89%)
③ KMT's Hou Yu-ih and Jaw Shaw-kong 3,630,905 (33.24%)

18:50

Over half of the 17,795 polling stations -- 9,214 -- have reported their results.

① TPP's Ko Wen-je and Wu Hsin-ying 1,532,497 (24.98%)
② DPP's Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim 2,570,331 (41.90%)
③ KMT's Hou Yu-ih and Jaw Shaw-kong 2,032,280 (33.13%)

18:30

With 5,856 of the 17,795 polling stations having reported, TPP's Ko-Wu won 852,146 votes, DPP's Lai-Hsiao won 1,492,864 votes and KMT's Hou-Jaw garnered 1,163524 votes.

18:15

Legislators who have declared reelection victory: DPP's Chen, Ting-Fei (陳亭妃)  in Tainan's 3rd electoral district, DPP's Yang Yao (楊曜) in Penghu County and independent Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) in Miaoli Cpounty's 1st electoral district.

18:00

With 2,012 of the 17,795 polling stationd having reported, TPP's Ko-Wu won 207,623 votes, DPP's Lai-Hsiao won 391,512 votes and KMT's Hou-Jaw garnered 308,466 votes.

▶ Several election law violations reported in Taiwan on polling day

17:56

Former KMT Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) in Taichung's 2nd electoral district, DPP Legislator Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員) in Tainan's 1st electoral district and KMT Lesgilator ChenYu-jen in Kinmen County declared victory.

17:33

With 513 of the 17,795 polling stationd having reported, TPP's Ko-Wu won 33,127 votes, DPP's Lai-Hsiao won 66,890 votes and KMT's Hou-Jaw 55,200 votes.

17:24

DPP Lesgilator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) in Tainan's 5th electroral district, and KMT Legislator Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生) in Lienchiang County (Matsu Islands) both annnounced that they have won reelection.

17:10

Polling station workers are counting votes around Taiwan since 4 p.m., with 90 of the 17,795 polling stations have sent in the results to the Central Election Commision.

16:33

A polling station in Yilan County reports first results to the Central Election Commission.

According to the Central Election Commission, 19.55 million people from Taiwan's population of 23.4 million are eligible to vote this year, including around 1.028 million first-time voters.

Most voters will cast three votes -- one for the president; one for either a district legislator, a mountain Indigenous peoples legislator, or a plains Indigenous peoples legislator; and one for a political party, which will determine how the 34 at-large seats in the 113-seat Legislature are allocated.

▶ Tsai and other political heavyweights cast ballots in Saturday elections

▶ Warmer weather forecast for election day, mercury could hit 26 degrees

▶ Polls open for presidential, legislative elections

▶ Taiwan’s youth prepare to go to the polls

▶ 2024 Taiwan presidential TV debate

▶ 2024 Taiwan vice presidential TV debate

 The candidates

Presidential, legislative elections 101

In the three-horse presidential race, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nominated Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) as its candidate, and his running mate is Taiwan's former representative to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) is representing the Kuomintang (KMT) in his bid for the presidency and has teamed up with politician-turned-broadcaster Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康).

Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the founder and chairman of the 4-year-old Taiwan's People's Party (TPP), is the third candidate, and his running mate is TPP Legislator-at-Large Wu Hsin-ying (吳欣盈).

Only four of the 16 parties vying for political party votes have sitting lawmakers in the Legislature -- the DPP, KMT, TPP and the New Power Party.

The TPP and New Power Party only hold at-large seats.

The newly elected lawmakers will begin their four-year terms on Feb. 1, while the president-elect and vice president-elect will be sworn in on May 20.

CNA will provide live election coverage throughout Saturday and live streaming of the Central Election Commission's vote counting operations from 4 p.m.