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Freedom House
executive lauds Taiwanˇ¦s democracy
Staff writer, with CNA, Washington
Taiwan remains one of the more impressive democracies in East Asia, with
democratic institutions appearing to function well, an executive of the US-based
human rights watchdog Freedom House said in a news conference on the release of
the Freedom in the World 2013 report on Wednesday.
The groupˇ¦s Research vice president Arch Puddington described Taiwanˇ¦s two-party
system as ˇ§vigorous,ˇ¨ although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is clearly in
ascendancy.
ˇ§But everything I see about the functioning of Taiwanese democracy suggests to
me that the freedoms in the country are not really in jeopardy right now,ˇ¨
Puddington said.
He pointed to a massive Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led demonstration
over the weekend, in which government policies were severely criticized.
Although there have been prosecutions of leading DPP members, they were, in most
cases, eventually found not guilty, he said.
ˇ§The workings of Taiwanese democracy have basically prevented democratic
institutions from being seriously eroded,ˇ¨ Puddington said.
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