are gearing up for the final stretch of their presidential election battle, each aiming to galvanize a million supporters onto the streets in mass rallies around the island today to canvass votes for March 22 polls. The DPP's march, titled "Stand Up to Protect Taiwan's Democracy: A Million Strong to Reverse the Tide," starts at 2:30 p.m.
Supporters will gather at specific meeting points around Taiwan to participate in a 5km march in a counter-clockwise direction to "reverse the tide" in public opinion polls, which are in favor of the KMT.
Participants will make certain moves simultaneously to show support for DPP candidate Frank Hsieh, including exchanging high fives and wearing rally caps back-to-front at 3:14 p.m. to show they are against China's anti-secession law, which was passed March 14, 2005.
In addition, DPP supporters are advised to bow to the north-south Central Mountain Range at 4:30 p.m.
During the rallies, the DPP will focus on three major themes -- against a "one-China" market, against one-party dominance in the legislature, and entering the United Nations under the name "Taiwan."
While DPP supporters will rally "backward" in a counter-clockwise direction, the KMT dubbed its march "Taiwan Moving Forward," for Taiwan and its people to march toward a better future.
Meanwhile, the KMT's march will also begin at 2:30 p.m., also with certain symbolic gestures designed to happen simultaneously around the nation at certain times.
According to KMT spokesman Huang Yu-chen, march participants will shout out that they oppose the anti-secession law at 3:14 p.m., followed by giving a thumbs-down to the DPP at 3:19 p.m., indicating disagreement with what the KMT describes as the DPP's "dirty election tricks" in the March 19, 2004 presidential election, and will give a "V for victory" sign at 3:22 p.m., symbolizing the KMT's victory in the election. Finally, participants will throw their caps into the sky, bidding farewell to eight years of various woes that have plagued the island due to the DPP administration's poor performance as led by President Chen Shui-bian.
KMT supporters in the rallies will shout the slogan "oppose corruption, fight for the economy, demand peace and love Taiwan."
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