Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections saw record turnout, at least over 70%. These are the estimates of the local media after, around midday (5am in Italy), percentages of around 45% were recorded in key cities including Hsinchu, Tainan and Taichung. There are more than 19.5 million people registered on the electoral lists, out of a population of over 23 million. About 70.6 percent of the eligible voting population in the capital Taipei turned out to vote, according to Taiwanese news channel Set News. The same percentage of Taipei voters voted in the last election in 2020. The final result of the presidency will be announced by the Central Election Commission tonight. In the 2020 elections, turnout at a national level was 74.9 percent, while in 2016 66.27 percent of eligible voters voted.
The favourite, based on the latest polls from 10 days ago, would be William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), current vice-president. Behind him Hou Yu-ih, the candidate of the KMT nationalists who would be just behind. Then, Ko Wen-je, from the People's Party (TPP).
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Lai in the lead with 39.25% within half an hour of counting
Half an hour after the start of the counting of the ballots for the presidential elections in Taiwan and with around 160 thousand ballots counted, William Lai, the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is in the lead with 39.25%, equal to over 62 thousand votes. Following, according to data released by TaiwanPlus News, Hou Yu-ih, running for the nationalists of the KMT, with a percentage of 31.27% (49,578 votes), followed closely by the third wheel Ko Wen-je of the People's Party (TPP ) with 29.48% (46,754 votes).
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