Year-End Nine-in-One Elections Face 4 Major Challenges, Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien Vows Strict Enforcement
The Supreme Prosecutors Office has established an 'Election Interference Supervision Task Force.' Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien highlighted four major challenges for the year-end elections—bribery, gambling, AI disinformation, and foreign interference—and vowed strict enforcement to ensure fairness.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 25, 2026 at 15:39
- 🔍 Collected: May 25, 2026 at 16:01 (22 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 31, 2026 at 20:34 (148h 32m after Collected)
The Supreme Prosecutors Office held an unveiling ceremony today for its 'Election Interference Supervision Task Force.' Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien stated that the year-end Nine-in-One elections face four major challenges, including interference by external hostile forces, and that all investigative agencies will strictly enforce the law to maintain the fairness and legitimacy of the elections.
The Supreme Prosecutors Office held the unveiling ceremony today, presided over by Minister Cheng, Acting Prosecutor General Hsu Hsi-hsiang, Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui, and Supreme Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Lu Wen-chung.
In his speech, Cheng stated that for the upcoming year-end Nine-in-One elections, in addition to the Supreme Prosecutors Office establishing a supervision task force, local district prosecutors offices have also established execution task forces today. This signifies that investigative agencies—including prosecutors, police, investigation bureaus, anti-corruption agencies, and immigration authorities—have officially launched comprehensive election investigation work.
He noted that the Nine-in-One elections involve many types of offices and a large number of candidates, leading to intense competition. They face four challenges: bribery and violence, election gambling, AI deepfake videos and disinformation, and interference by external hostile forces.
Cheng said that to ensure fairness and justice, the Ministry of Justice proposed an election investigation program on April 10, consisting of one core goal, four key tasks, and seven improvement measures. He hopes that all investigative agencies will uphold the determination of 'no bottom line, no upper limit, and no time limit' in law enforcement, actively conducting investigations and public awareness campaigns to rectify the election environment.
Cheng stated that the Ministry of Justice continues to promote the reporting reward system, hoping to increase public incentive to report illegal activities. According to the 'Guidelines for Encouraging Reporting of Election Interference,' the maximum reward for reporting bribery is NT$10 million, NT$5 million for election gambling, and NT$20 million for foreign interference. He hopes the public will step forward to maintain the fairness of the elections.
Cheng urged all investigative agencies to deploy early, take the initiative, and respond immediately. The Ministry of Justice will serve as a solid backing, continuing to provide necessary administrative resources and assistance.
Hsu Hsi-hsiang stated that the Supreme Prosecutors Office will actively supervise the election investigation work of all prosecutors' offices. Based on past experience, Nine-in-One elections penetrate deep into the grassroots, making structural bribery likely, and underground gambling also generates illegal financial flows. It is necessary to formulate investigation priorities based on local characteristics.
Hsu said that for deepfake images and disinformation, it is essential to block them quickly and immediately. A meeting will be held soon to study and establish processing mechanisms and standard operating procedures. Regarding interference by external forces, it is necessary to deeply analyze the flow of people, money, and information, distinguishing between normal exchanges and illegal interference, to conduct precise investigations and avoid unnecessary public resentment.
Hsu urged all candidates not to break the law. In addition to strict criminal liability, prosecutors will also file lawsuits to invalidate the election of any candidate whose involvement is clearly evidenced. He also called on the public to actively report any election interference by calling the hotline at 0800-024-099 (press 4 after connecting). Not only are there high rewards, but the identity of the reporter will be strictly kept confidential.
The Supreme Prosecutors Office held the unveiling ceremony today, presided over by Minister Cheng, Acting Prosecutor General Hsu Hsi-hsiang, Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui, and Supreme Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Lu Wen-chung.
In his speech, Cheng stated that for the upcoming year-end Nine-in-One elections, in addition to the Supreme Prosecutors Office establishing a supervision task force, local district prosecutors offices have also established execution task forces today. This signifies that investigative agencies—including prosecutors, police, investigation bureaus, anti-corruption agencies, and immigration authorities—have officially launched comprehensive election investigation work.
He noted that the Nine-in-One elections involve many types of offices and a large number of candidates, leading to intense competition. They face four challenges: bribery and violence, election gambling, AI deepfake videos and disinformation, and interference by external hostile forces.
Cheng said that to ensure fairness and justice, the Ministry of Justice proposed an election investigation program on April 10, consisting of one core goal, four key tasks, and seven improvement measures. He hopes that all investigative agencies will uphold the determination of 'no bottom line, no upper limit, and no time limit' in law enforcement, actively conducting investigations and public awareness campaigns to rectify the election environment.
Cheng stated that the Ministry of Justice continues to promote the reporting reward system, hoping to increase public incentive to report illegal activities. According to the 'Guidelines for Encouraging Reporting of Election Interference,' the maximum reward for reporting bribery is NT$10 million, NT$5 million for election gambling, and NT$20 million for foreign interference. He hopes the public will step forward to maintain the fairness of the elections.
Cheng urged all investigative agencies to deploy early, take the initiative, and respond immediately. The Ministry of Justice will serve as a solid backing, continuing to provide necessary administrative resources and assistance.
Hsu Hsi-hsiang stated that the Supreme Prosecutors Office will actively supervise the election investigation work of all prosecutors' offices. Based on past experience, Nine-in-One elections penetrate deep into the grassroots, making structural bribery likely, and underground gambling also generates illegal financial flows. It is necessary to formulate investigation priorities based on local characteristics.
Hsu said that for deepfake images and disinformation, it is essential to block them quickly and immediately. A meeting will be held soon to study and establish processing mechanisms and standard operating procedures. Regarding interference by external forces, it is necessary to deeply analyze the flow of people, money, and information, distinguishing between normal exchanges and illegal interference, to conduct precise investigations and avoid unnecessary public resentment.
Hsu urged all candidates not to break the law. In addition to strict criminal liability, prosecutors will also file lawsuits to invalidate the election of any candidate whose involvement is clearly evidenced. He also called on the public to actively report any election interference by calling the hotline at 0800-024-099 (press 4 after connecting). Not only are there high rewards, but the identity of the reporter will be strictly kept confidential.
FAQ
How does Taiwan prevent election interference?
The Ministry of Justice has set up task forces to monitor AI disinformation and foreign interference.