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TAIPEI: Taiwan's first elected president threw his support Thursday behind ruling party candidate Frank Hsieh, saying the nation needed a counterweight to the opposition-controlled parliament.
"I will cast my vote for Frank Hsieh, but no matter what the outcome is I respect the people's choice," said Lee Teng-hui, who was president from 1988 until 2000.
"Democracy is the balance of powers, and as the Kuomintang has an absolute majority in parliament there is no room to counter the party... which could spell disaster for democracy."
Lee was handpicked for the presidency in 1988 by the party leadership, but later won the island's first democratic elections in 1996.
Hsieh, from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, is running against Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in Saturday's vote.
The KMT swept to a crushing victory over the DPP in parliamentary elections in January and now dominates the legislature.
Lee, a fluent Japanese speaker who is considered pro-Japan, made headlines last year when he visited a controversial Tokyo war shrine.
His announcement had been expected -- the former KMT leader was expelled by the party for campaigning for a hardline pro-independence party several years ago.
Lee was branded a "splittist" by China for seeking a separate identity for Taiwan during his tenure. Beijing lobbed missiles near the island in 1995 and 1996, prompting the United States to send in warships.
China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, by force if necessary, after their split in 1949 following a civil war. - AFP/ac
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