The US State Department says that Taiwan’s elections are fair, free, credible, and transparent. That’s according to a US annual human rights report released on Thursday.
The Taiwan section of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 said that the election in 2012 when voters re-elected President Ma Ying-jeou for a second term was conducted fairly and freely. The local elections in November 2014 in which voters elected more than 11,000 government officials were also considered credible and transparent.
On conditions of work, the report said the law in Taiwan provides standards for working conditions and health and safety precautions. However, it also pointed out that migrant workers are often under-paid by brokerage agencies.
The report indicated that in 2013, the average monthly wage increased 0.2% to NT$45,664 (US$1,470), which is at a 15-year low. It also said between 10,000 and 20,000 white-collar or skilled workers leave Taiwan to work abroad every year.
The report also said that the constitution provides for freedom of assembly, as is shown by the student occupation of the legislature in 2014.
The report indicated that although Taiwan has made efforts to eliminate corruption and reduce political influence on the judiciary, some problems remained.