Taiwan's elections draw international attention

Taiwan's elections draw international attention

Taiwan's hotly contested presidential and legislative elections have drawn the attention of major media outlets from around the world, the Government Information Office (GIO) said Monday.

So far about 600 journalists with 135 media outlets from 35 countries have registered to come to Taiwan to cover the elections, which will be held on Jan. 14, the GIO said.

Japan's NHK alone will dispatch a 38-member team to cover the polls, according to the GIO.

Representatives of over 100 international media groups will arrive in Taiwan by Jan. 10 to first cover campaign news conferences to be given by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the People First Party (PFP) on Jan. 11-12, the GIO said.

These international media outlets include the Washington Post, Time Magazine, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), CNN, the Economist, French daily daily Le Monde, AFP, AP, Reuters, and the Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun from Japan.

In a three-way presidential race, President Ma Ying-jeou, who is seeking a second term, is running against DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and People First Party Chairman James Soong.

ENDS

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