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Taiwan Parties Fail to Reach Recount Deal

Posted on: Friday, 2 April 2004, 06:00 CST

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's feuding political parties met with High Court judges on Friday 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."

Lien's lawyers had insisted that the government pay for the recount because it involved an important public issue.

But the president's lawyers insisted that since Lien was the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit, the law required him to cover the costs of the re-tally.

"We are the defendant. Why should we make a petition to request a recount of Lien's vote?" Chen's attorney Wellington Koo said.

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