Is Treating Someone to 50 Yuan Tofu Pudding Considered Election Bribery? The People's Party Questions the Ministry of Justice's Standards: Why is Huang Shijie Giving 300 Yuan Eggs Not an Issue?

With the 2026 county and city mayoral elections just over two months away, the prosecution has determined that Changhua County Council Speaker Xie Dianlin and his son allegedly used public funds to support relatives during a parliamentary meal, suspected of violating election laws and embezzlement, and were ordered detained. Xie Dianlin also filed an appeal with the Changhua District Court on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The People's Party legislative caucus posted a question on Facebook today (24th), pointing out that recently many candidates have been accused of bribery. Some have been investigated for providing haircuts or treating someone to 50 yuan of tofu pudding, while the Democratic Progressive Party's Taoyuan mayoral candidate Huang Shijie attended an event hosted by the Agricultural Department's Bureau of Agriculture and Water Resources (BAWR) and gave a 300 yuan egg gift box, yet faced no consequences. The standards for election bribery in the Republic of China are truly baffling.

Why is Huang Shijie controversial? Taoyuan City Councilor Zhan Jiangcun recently accused Huang Shijie of violating administrative neutrality during the BAWR event. There were management office and foundation staff present, and during the event, people shouted "Freeze Garlic" in support of Huang Shijie, and gifts were presented. Huang Shijie's campaign office explained that BAWR routinely invites local legislators to attend, and Nationalist Party legislators also participated that day, and it was not targeted at a specific candidate.

Why doesn't giving gifts from legislators constitute election bribery? Regarding this controversy, the People's Party caucus stated that after inquiry, the Ministry of Justice's Supreme Prosecutors Office listed possible criminal patterns and "in principle, do not constitute election bribery" in its response, and also added "to be determined by the prosecutor based on the specific case," in addition to giving prosecutors a "sword of free judgment," the text also appeared with a bunch of vague legal concepts as follows:

Participating in folk festivals and giving gifts, the gifts and gift money must be "consistent with social etiquette." Giving small items under 30 yuan, if the prosecutor determines it is "divided into smaller amounts," it will still be investigated. Providing tea and meals to participants in election campaign events "should not exceed social norms" as a principle. Is giving a 300 yuan egg gift box considered election bribery? The People's Party caucus also sarcastically asked, what is consistent with social etiquette, and what does not exceed social norms? For example, if we analyze the behavior of former Ministry of Justice Deputy Minister Huang Shijie giving a 300 yuan egg gift box and shouting "Freeze Garlic" at the scene, is there an intention of election bribery? "Does the giver objectively have the ability to shake or influence the voting intention of those with voting rights?" The People's Party emphasized that everyone has the responsibility to combat election bribery, but the standards must be consistent and easy to judge. Prosecutors must uphold "administrative neutrality" and not use the name of combating election bribery to carry out the act of purging dissent. Combating election bribery and fair enforcement are equally important for safeguarding democracy!" The People's Party also mentioned that, however, judicial investigations will inevitably affect elections, and often the defendant is eventually found not guilty, but the election has already ended, and reputation and political effects are difficult to recover. The people do not want "arrest first and explain later," but a red line that applies to all parties, both ruling and opposition. This line must be clearly drawn, otherwise the controversy over election fairness will never stop.

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