Both Tsai and Han plan large outdoor rallies throughout Taiwan, including rallies in Taipei on Friday night. Attendance by hundreds of thousands of supporters is likely.My assessment is it is safe to travel to Taiwan both before and after the election. However, post- election, protests over a close or disputed result, or by political party supporters angry at their party’s leadership over poor results, can result in potentially disruptive street protests.
In 2006, rallies with tens of thousands calling on then President Chen Shui-bian of the DPP to resign over corruption allegations and counter-rallies went on for an extended period in Taipei. Polling day is not a public holiday, and businesses typically open on Saturday will continue. Staff will vote before their shift begins, or employers adjust duty rosters to accommodate.
Tsai’s popularity had fallen in the years after her May 2016 inauguration due to poor policy execution, concerns about nepotism, and poor leadership choices, all of which contributed to the KMT’s successes in the November 2018 local elections. Tsai is widely tipped to win the top position. Notwithstanding Han’s unexpected victory in the Kaohsiung mayoral election in 2018, and early 2019 polls giving him the lead, a presidential election victory for Han was always unlikely. His face-off in Kaohsiung had been an easy win over a lacklustre DPP candidate.