Taiwan president fined for Facebook campaigning

TAIPEI - Agence France-Presse

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou. REUTERS Photo.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has been fined Tw$500,000 ($17,000) by electoral authorities for urging his Facebook followers on polling day to vote for him, the Central Election Commission said Wednesday.

Taiwanese election law forbids any form of campaigning on voting day.

Elected in 2008, Ma won a comfortable re-election victory on January 14. He is due to be inaugurated for his second and last four-year term on Sunday.
 
However, his government has recently come under fire over a string of controversial policies, which saw his popularity plunge to 19.5 percent, its lowest level in nearly three years, according to a poll released last week.
 
Thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei on May Day to voice their anger at the government, while the opposition party has vowed to stage a mass rally on the eve of his inauguration.