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Vote counting under way in Taiwan’s closely watched elections

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Vote counting under way in Taiwan’s closely watched elections

Taipei, Taiwan – Voters have cast their ballots in Taiwan’s closely watched presidential and parliamentary elections, with the first results expected to be announced later on Saturday.

The presidential vote is a surprising three-way race between incumbent Vice President William Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); the former mayor of New Taipei City Hou Yu-ih from the more conservative Kuomintang (KMT); and third-party candidate Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party.

At stake is the future direction of Taiwan’s democracy: A continued push for a higher international profile as a de facto independent state by the DPP; closer ties with China but potentially better economic relations as promised by the KMT; or an untested but new third way between both parties as promised by the TPP.

Also at stake is the makeup of Taiwan’s 113-person unicameral legislature, voted in based on geographic constituency and a second list based on a party’s proportion of votes. Six seats are reserved for Indigenous Taiwanese.

In the last election, the DPP snuck through with a legislative majority, but their victory is far from certain this time thanks to competition from the KMT and TPP in many local races.

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Some 19.5 million people were eligible to vote aged 20 and over, and voter turnout is expected to be high based on public transit data.

Taiwanese are required to return to the location of their household registration – typically their hometown – to vote in person, which means the leadup to elections can be a busy time for the island-wide rail service.

On Friday, Taiwan Railway Administration predicted a record 758,000 tickets in sales – higher than any previous election.

It was a surprise turnaround for what has been a relatively lacklustre campaign season focused on domestic issues, according to Brian Hioe, a frequent commentator on Taiwanese politics and founder of New Bloom Magazine.

“Shortly before train ticket sales weren’t doing that well and there was a sudden rebound,” he said. “I think it shows how quickly things can change in Taiwanese politics.”

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“Oftentimes before the election itself, it suddenly sets up a national doom feeling. People suddenly worry what will happen if X candidate gets elected or if one rally turnout appears higher than expected,” Hioe also said. “That makes people mobilise.”

Hioe said two key events may have spooked some voters this week into voting. The first was the massive turnout of 350,000 people on Friday at a rally for third-party candidate Ko, showing voters that he was a real contender despite the relative inexperience of his party.

The second were remarks made this week by former president and KMT member Ma Ying-jeou that Taiwan should trust Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While Ma is long retired from the presidency, he still carries weight within his party and some voters may be alarmed about his sway over KMT candidate Hou, Hioe said.

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Many Taiwanese are distrustful of Beijing, which claims Taiwan as a province, and want their democracy to maintain its de facto independence.

Beijing typically relies on a combination of “carrot and stick” strategies to try to lure voters and also scare them into voting for their preferred candidates at election time – typically anyone other than the DPP.

Voters told Al Jazeera that polls had been busy since they opened early on Saturday.

Taipei resident Jason Wang said his plan to get to the polls early with his wife and daughter was put off slightly by a surprisingly long and diverse queue for 8am.

“It wasn’t old people, which was surprising. It was a lot of young couples – and I mean people who would spend their Friday night partying it up,” he said.

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Guava Lai, a young DPP supporter in his 20s, said his social media was full of panicked posts from friends on Friday night that candidate Ko could win.

“My friends were pretty anxious especially the night before. For context most of my friends would be voting for DPP …and then seeing the news on Friday that Ko Wen-je had this many people and Hou Yu-ih had that many people,” he said. “That was the vibe I saw on my social media feed, people being anxious and also trying to reassure each other.”

The DPP has been in power for the past eight years under President Tsai Ing-wen.

In an ordinary election, Taiwan’s two main parties, the KMT and DPP, should be due to switch power, but Ko has upset the normal trajectory.

The outspoken former mayor of Taipei has been popular with younger voters who say they want something new from the old two-party system.

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They include 25-year-old Nicky who told Al Jazeera she had voted for Ko as she left an elementary school voting station in Taipei on Saturday. Declining to use her full name, she said she liked Ko’s record as mayor and his can-do attitude and plainer style of speaking.

“He was the mayor of Taipei for eight years,” she said. “He can really get things done and he can solve problems. That’s what you want.” Her friends felt the same, she added.

Nicky was uncertain about Ko’s chances to win as most older voters prefer Taiwan’s two traditional parties, but she still wanted to show her support.

“I think it’s time for a change,” she said.

Some of her concerns were echoed by Ross Feingold, a lawyer and political analyst based in Taipei.

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He emphasised that some voters were concerned with issues other than China, including transparency in public office.

“Just like other countries, there are recurring corruption issues, nepotism issues under the leadership of different political parties in Taiwan, and I think voters here want to know that the person who is going to lead them for the next four years is an honest man,” he told Al Jazeera.

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Video: How Bangladesh Went From Revolution to Elections

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Video: How Bangladesh Went From Revolution to Elections

new video loaded: How Bangladesh Went From Revolution to Elections

Bangladesh held the first national elections since a student revolution in the summer of 2024. Standing outside the Dhaka university, the epicenter of the student movement, New York Times correspondent Anupreeta Das explains what the recent elections mean for the country’s future.

By Anupreeta Das, Katrin Bennhold, Leila Medina, James Surdam, Parin Behrooz and Lam Yik Fei

February 13, 2026

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Ukraine strikes major Russian ammo depot with ‘Flamingo’ missile as Trump urges Zelenskyy to move on deal

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Ukraine strikes major Russian ammo depot with ‘Flamingo’ missile as Trump urges Zelenskyy to move on deal

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Video released this week shows Ukraine launching domestically produced FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missiles, as Kyiv pushes deeper strikes on Russian military infrastructure nearly four years into the war.

Ukraine’s military said the missiles were used in an overnight attack on February 11 to 12 targeting a missile, ammunition and an explosives arsenal near the settlement of Kotluban in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast, describing the facility as belonging to Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, known as GRAU, and said it was among the largest ammunition storage hubs used by Russian forces. 

Ukrainian officials said powerful explosions and secondary detonations were recorded at the site, while the extent of damage was still being assessed.

RUSSIAN ATTACK ON KHARKIV WIPES OUT YOUNG FAMILY, LEAVING PREGNANT MOTHER AS SOLE SURVIVOR

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Ukraine launches domestically produced long-range FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missiles toward targets in Russia. (East2West)

Russian regional authorities acknowledged an incident at a Defense Ministry facility in the same area. Volgograd Governor Andrey Bocharov said air defenses repelled a missile attack and that falling debris triggered a fire at a military facility near Kotluban. He said an evacuation of nearby residents was ordered during firefighting because of the threat of detonation. Anadolu Agency reported that buses were prepared to move residents to temporary accommodation centers.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has also publicly referenced the Flamingo system. In a daily update carried by Russian state media, the ministry said its air defenses shot down five Flamingo long-range cruise missiles over the previous 24 hours. The ministry did not provide evidence in the statement, and Kyiv has not confirmed how many missiles were intercepted.

BATTERED IN UKRAINE, RUSSIA RACES TO REARM — BUT QUESTIONS LINGER OVER ITS MILITARY STRENGTH

Footage shows the launch of Ukraine’s homegrown long-range “Flamingo” cruise missiles during a strike on Russian military infrastructure. (East2West)

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Ukraine has increasingly highlighted indigenous long-range capabilities, including the FP-5. An East-to-West News agency video report previously cited Ukrainian officials describing the missile’s range as 3,000 kilometers, or about 1,864 miles, and said officials claim accuracy within about 14 meters, though battlefield performance is difficult to independently verify.

In response to a reporter’s question on Friday on the talks between the sides, President Donald Trump put the onus back on President Zelenskyy to make a deal. 

“Well, Zelenskyy is going to have to get moving. Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelenskyy is going to have to get moving otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity. He has to move,” he said.

A new round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine is expected in Geneva next week, even as fighting persists along the more than 1,200-kilometer front line.

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Ukraine fires six FP-5 Flamingo missiles in a night strike on Russia’s 117th GRAU arsenal in Kotluban, Volgograd region. Feb. 11, 2025. (East2West)

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Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks across Ukraine continue, saying on Friday that a Russian drone assault on port infrastructure near Odesa killed one person and injured six others, while a separate strike near the eastern front line killed three brothers, including an eight-year-old and wounded their mother and grandmother.

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Macron says Europe must redesign security, cites nuclear deterrence

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Macron says Europe must redesign security, cites nuclear deterrence

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Emmanuel Macron told the Munich Security Conference on Friday that Europe will have to redesign its security architecture on its own terms as it faces an aggressive Russia.

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The French president said the current security framework won’t hold in the future and Europeans must set out new parameters in their own terms. Macron said that it may include a more “holistic” approach to nuclear deterrence among European allies.

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Macron said plans for “a day after” implying a future coexistence with Russia must be drafted by Europeans independently due to their geographical reality and a “bloated” Russian army on what the French leader described as a belligerent “sugar high.”

“We have to be the ones to negotiate this new architecture of security for Europe for the day after because our geography will not change,” he said.

“We will live with Russia in the same place, and the Europeans at the same place, and I don’t want this negotiation to be organised by someone else,” he said in an apparent reference to the United States and their direct talks with Moscow.

Macron told the gathering in Munich, which focuses on security and brings together world leaders, future parameters of security may include a new, more holistic nuclear deterrence among European allies. Until now, deterrence has been a strictly national domain and a highly delicate issue because of its implications on sovereignty.

The French leader teased a “new strategic dialogue” on nuclear arms.

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“We have engaged a strategic dialogue with Chancelor Merz and (other) European leaders in order to see how we can articulate our national doctrine” with special cooperation and common security interests in some key countries, he said.

“This dialogue is important because it’s a way to articulate nuclear deterrence in a holistic approach of defence and security. This is a way to create convergence in our strategic approach between Germany and France,” he added.

Earlier, Merz had told the conference he had engaged in “confidential talks” on European nuclear deterrence.

“We Germans are adhering to our legal obligations. We consider this strictly within the context of our nuclear sharing within NATO and we will not allow zones of differing security to emerge in Europe,” Merz said.

The comments are significant as it shows Europeans are beginning to think of a future security that relies on their own capabilities, becoming less dependent on the US umbrella for the first time since the end of the Cold War.

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The French president said he would deliver more details in the coming weeks.

‘Europe is vilified, but it should be proud’

Macron sought to rally support for a stronger and proud Europe, which often lacks self-confidence despite its many strengths, according to the French President, who suggested Europeans are being vilified through false claims amplified on social media.

“We need a much more positive mindset. There has been a tendency in this place and beyond to overlook Europe and sometimes to criticise it outright,” Macron said.

“Caricatures have been made, Europe has been vilified as an aging, slow, fragmented construct sidelined by history. As an overregulated economy that shuts innovation, as a society preyed by migration that would corruption its precious traditions.

“And most curiously yet, in some quarters, as a repressive continent,” he added.

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In his remarks, Macron appeared to push back at the US administration which urged Europe to reverse course or face “civilisational erasure” citing excessive regulation, illegal migration and repressive social media policies curtailing free speech.

“Everyone should take a cue from us, instead of trying to divide us,” he said.

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