Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 4 Num 301 Sat. April 03, 2004  
   
International


Taiwan parties fail to reach recount deal


Taiwan's feuding political parties met with High Court judges yesterday but failed to agree on how to proceed with a recount for the disputed presidential election.

Lawyers for the rival campaigns could not agree who would pay for the re-tally for the March 20 vote.

High Court Judge Wu Ching-yuan ruled that each side would have five days "to work out the procedure and method for the recount." After the five days, the campaigns would meet again to discuss the issue, the judge said.

Opposition candidate Lien Chan demanded the recount after his narrow loss to President Chen Shui-bian.

Earlier Friday, Lien's lawyers argued that they only wanted to recount the president's votes and examine ballots deemed invalid. They didn't demand that Lien's votes also be examined.

But one of Lien's lawyers, Tsai Yu-ling, told reporters after the hearing, "We can agree to a full recount, and we will respect the judge's decision on who should pay."