Ten days after Taiwan's presidential election yielded a contested result, there are signs of progress in resolving the political crisis it created. The winner of the vote, President Chen Shui-bian, last weekend promised a recount to defuse mounting tensions. The recount is a vital step in sorting out the situation, but it is not enough. The president must also promise a complete and public investigation into the assassination attempt that occurred the night before the ballot. Just as important is responsible behavior by the opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT). Its efforts to fan the flames of protest have only increased the spectacle in Taiwan politics. The party is not doing itself, or the Taiwanese people, any good.
While everyone anticipated a close election, none expected the results to be as close as they were. The March 20 ballot was decided by less than 30,000 votes, a margin of 0.228 percent. The outcome was clouded by more than 300,000 spoiled ballots more than twice the number invalidated in the last vote. And then there was the mysterious shooting of Mr. Chen and Vice President Annette Lu as they campaigned in an open-air vehicle the day before the election.
The circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt remain murky. Mr. Chen and Ms. Lu did not react to being shot, they were taken to a distant hospital rather than one closer to the scene of the crime, and the assailant has never been apprehended or even identified. Some KMT members have alleged the incident was staged. Others have complained that troops were mobilized immediately after the shooting, a move that prevented more than 200,000 police and military personnel from voting.