The 2005 local elections in China's Taiwan Province began Saturday, at 8:00 am, to elect mayors and legislators at county-level, and mayors at township level.

The police have assigned 110,000 officers to maintain order at the 12,000-plus voting stations.

Candidates from different political parties in Taiwan are competing in the elections, with 76 candidates for 23 county-level mayoral positions, 1,690 for county-level legislators, and 786 for 319 township-level mayoral posts.

The current local elections is of great importance for political parties in Taiwan, so that they have been making ardent efforts, over the past few months, to win in the positions.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2005)