Chen outrage at election claims
Lawmakers in punch up
 |  A fight breaks out between DPP and KMT parliamentarians. |
|  VIDEO |
 Taiwan riled by election protests
 PLAY VIDEO
 Taiwan's president shot at rally
PLAY VIDEO
|
RELATED |
• China calls on U.S. for action
• Police chase shooting leads
 Gallery: Assassination attempt shocks Taiwan
• Refendum fails for lack of votes
• Election: The key issues
• Timeline: The road to democracy
|
|
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- President Chen Shui-bian has lashed out at vote-rigging allegations leveled against him and urged Taiwan's 23 million people not to allow the disputed result of weekend elections to divide the island.
Speaking in public for the first time since he claimed victory in the poll, Chen on Tuesday described the allegations as the "biggest insult to my integrity."
One day after an apparent assassination attempt on this life, Chen secured a second term in office by winning 30,000 more votes than opposition Kuomintang leader Lien Chan. About 300,000 votes were declared invalid.
But Lien has refused to concede defeat, instead calling for the vote to be declared void and ballots recounted, citing suspicious circumstances surrounding the election.
The challenger, who was widely tipped to win the election, claims the poll was marred by voting irregularities and sympathy votes garnered by the assassination bid on the president.
But Chen stood firm as he called for calm.
"We hope our country will not be torn apart by a single election," Chen said.
"You can question the outcome, you can raise a motion to void the election and we must respect that. I know we did not rig votes, we are not afraid of re-examining the ballots."
Chen also voiced regret that some people doubted he and Vice President Annette Lu had been wounded in the assassination attempt.
"It was very painful ... We are the ones who were shot. We are more eager than anyone else to find out the truth," Chen told a meeting of the heads of the island's five branches of government.
Chen said he would welcome "participation" of any kind into the investigation of the shooting after the opposition urged an external inquiry.
No arrests have been made, no weapons found and no suspects identified despite the offer of $400,000 for information about the shooting suspects -- leading to accusations of political interference in the investigation. (Police chase leads)
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets over the political deadlock, demanding a recount and plunging Taiwan into a political crisis.
The row has also sent Taiwan's stocks plunging, with the main Taiex stock index plummeting around 10 percent already this week. (Markets latest)
Meanwhile, China -- which views Taiwan as a renegade province that must eventually reunify with the mainland -- has called on the United States to take more action to stabilize the situation on the island.
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing made the request in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday. (Full story)
Lawmakers brawl
Ballot boxes have been ordered sealed and the matter is before Taiwan's courts, but experts say it could take up to six months to respond to the recount demand.
|  Thousands of opposition supporters are still in the streets, demanding a vote recount. |
Earlier Tuesday, violent scuffles broke out among politicians after Chen's Democratic Progressive Party proposed revising election laws to allow an immediate recount.
Fists flew between ruling party and opposition lawmakers during the parliament committee meeting needed to approve the proposal.
The proposed revision would trigger a recount if the margin of victory was one percent or below and could be applied retroactively to Saturday's poll, which delivered a win to Chen by only 0.2 percent.
The DPP, which said it introduced the proposal to seek an earlier resolution to the political deadlock, accused opposition lawmakers of blocking its progress.
"The Nationalist lawmakers are not willing to revise the law. They don't really want a recount, they just want to cause social chaos," said DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang after Tuesday's brawling that ended with politicians from both sides storming out.
There had been indications the motion could break the impasse with the KMT and their allies -- which hold a majority in parliament. Earlier they said they would support the legislation changes.
The recount could take place as early as Thursday should the motion pass and Chen sign the revision into law.
But some opposition lawmakers say the proposal is not enough and want a recount ordered immediately.
"If the government has the sincerity to do a recount then they can do a recount right now and they don't have to change the election law," Reuters quoted Nationalist Party spokesman Justin Chou as saying.
"That would be fair for us and fair to all the protesters."
Demonstrators have been out on the streets since the results of the election were made late Saturday with around 2,000 to 3,000 rallying in Taipei on Tuesday.
The crowd was expected to swell in the evening once people left work or school.
On Monday, about 20,000 opposition supporters rallied outside the presidential office despite police efforts to disperse them.
They have accused the president of using dirty tricks to win the poll and have vowed not to return home until there is a recount.
