On the morning of January 20 at the Presidential Office Building, President Ma Ying-jeou received a certificate of election as the ROC's 13th-term president from the Central Election Commission (CEC) .
The ceremony in which President Ma was handed the certificate was held in the President's Hall on the third floor of the Presidential Office Building. CEC Chairwoman Chang Po-ya (張博雅) presented the certificate on behalf of all of the commissioners of the CEC. Chairwoman Chang also congratulated the president on his re-election.
After receiving the certificate, President Ma addressed those in attendance, stating that he accepts the certificate along with the mandate and expectations of the people of the ROC. The president remarked that this has brought him not only great honor, but also responsibility, and that his re-election signifies the public's approval of efforts made by the government over the past three-plus years to revitalize the economy, establish clean and competent government, promote a just and fair society, create a sustainable environment, preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait, and build greater friendship for the ROC in the international community. The president said he is also keenly aware that further efforts are still needed in many areas, so the government must humbly undertake a critical appraisal of its work and take decisive action to fundamentally transform Taiwan.
In the face of intense international competition, said the president, a nation that fails to move forward will inevitably fall behind, and as president he is well aware that Taiwan's development must continue and that the nation must move forward. President Ma stated that the government has been examining its administrative successes and shortcomings over the past three-plus years, and that in the four months between now and May 20 when he will be sworn in to another term in office, the government will work to review and adjust the "golden decade" vision based on the opinions raised by the public during the course of his presidential campaign. This will serve as an important basis for the policies to be carried out over the next four years.
President Ma mentioned that the recent election marked the first time that the public voted for the president and legislators in the same election. Combining the polls, he said, helped to save over NT$500 million of election-related expenses. Another important significance is that this will reduce the frequency of elections and the number of times that society needs to be mobilized to hold polls. In the future, the president noted, two elections will be held every four years here, explaining that one will be at the central government level, and the other at the local level. Many have been calling urgently for quite a few years for just such an arrangement, and finally it will be realized starting this year. In the next election, seven different types of local public officials for the governments of special municipalities, cities, and counties will be elected, he explained, adding that this important milestone in the history of the ROC will help to establish and solidify democracy here.
President Ma recalled that the ROC held its first direct presidential election 16 years ago. At that time, he presented former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) his certificate of election in his capacity as a commissioner of the CEC. President Ma said that he is extremely pleased that the recent elections were a success. He expressed his appreciation to the CEC for its work in ensuring a fair and impartial poll. The election was praised by both local and international observers, he noted.
The president stated that judging from the messages of congratulation sent to the ROC from countries around the world, the ROC is at the leading edge of democracy in the ethnic Chinese world, but even though the ROC has taken democracy to unprecedented heights in terms of "quantity," there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of "quality." As a young democracy, he said, we need to further deepen our democracy and expand protections for freedom and human rights. This, he explained, is the most important meaning of elections.
The CEC delegation which came to the Presidential Office Building to deliver the certificate was led by Chairwoman Chang and included CEC Vice Chairman Liu I-chou (劉義周) and CEC Commissioners Pan Wei-ta (潘維大), Chen Kuo-hsiang (陳國祥), Tsai Li-hsueh (蔡麗雪), Chai Sung-lin (柴松林), Lin Tzu-ling (林慈玲), and Vincent W. S. Chen (陳文生). Also in attendance at the ceremony were Deputy Secretaries-General to the President Kao Lang (高朗) and Liu Bao-guey (劉寶貴).