ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION<br/> Hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered for the election campaigns on Friday (January 13) evening as the two major presidential candidates give a final boost of votes on the eve of Saturday's elections.<br/> On a stage by Taiwan's presidential palace, the incumbent president, Ma Ying-jeou, who is seeking a second term in office, faced a crowd of supporters estimated to be 80,000 strong.<br/> In his speech, Ma assured the voters that his government is uncorrupted and best able to promote a peaceful Cross-Strait development betwen Taiwan and China and maintaining a stable economy.<br/> Ma's supporter believes peaceful Cross-Strait relations could help improve the economy.<br/> Ma will square off against Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) and People First Party candidate James Soong in the fifth presidential election since Taiwan's transition to democracy from a martial law dictatorship. The first direct presidential election was held in 1996.<br/> Ma leads Tsai in most polls with Soong a distant third.<br/> In New Taipei City, the DPP estimated over 100,000 people gathered for Tsai on Friday evening.<br/> Tsai, who criticised Ma's policy in the past four years for only favoring big businesses and widened the rich-poor gap, urged the crowd to cast their vote and make changes happen.<br/> China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the Nationalists fled to the island in 1949 after losing control of the mainland in a civil war.<br/> Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan back under its rule, by force if necessary.<br/> Polls will open from 0800 local time (0000GMT) on Saturday (January 14).
