Taipei (AsiaNews) – Polling stations will close at 4 pm (local time, GMT +8). Over 16.5 million Taiwanese voters will have had the opportunity of casting their ballot to elect 225 members of parliament.

Security across the island has been stepped up. Threats of attacks and the discovery of a few bombs near the capital's main railway station had led some to fear a repeat of what happened during the presidential elections of March 20 when then candidate Chen Shui-bian was wounded by a gun shot. More than 45,000 police and security officers have been deployed in the capital to prevent incidents.

The elections risk exacerbating tensions with the People's Republic of China (PRC) which since 1971 has been officially recognised by the United Nations as the sole representative of China taking over the UN seat hitherto occupied by Taipei. The PRC considers Taiwan a rebel province and, although it has not tried to invade the island and has pursued a policy of peaceful reunification, it still has 600 missiles pointed at the island.

These elections are being fought by two major camps: those who seek greater autonomy for Taiwan and those who favour the status quo fearful of mainland China's reaction.

The 'pan-green' or pro-independence camp is made up of President Chen's own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union led by former President Lee Tenghui. The 'pan-blue' or pro-reunification camp includes the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Peoples' First Party (PFP).

For the once dominant KMT, these elections are a fight for political survival. From its heydays in the 1950s it is now a pale shadow of its former shelf. Its focus on reunification has led many Taiwanese voters to turn away because it has not paid enough attention to local problems and the needs of the island's residents.

In 2000, the KMT lost the presidency for the first time to Chen. Threats from Beijing have helped support for the DPP grow. The president's party backs independence for the island and Taiwan-first policies.

Last year, 43.2 per cent of the island's residents defined themselves as 'Taiwanese' against 42.9 per cent who say they are both 'Taiwanese and Chinese'.

During the campaign Chen committed himself to defending the Taiwanese identity of the island and holding a referendum in 2006 to push for a new constitution. He also pledged to set up a cross-strait peace development committee, improve public welfare and the economy, and enhance national defence by purchasing NT$ 610.8 billion (US$ 18.3 billion) worth of weapons from the United States.

KMT chairman Lian Chan accused the president of having "lost his legitimacy" in the presidential election in March which he won by the smallest of margins. His party has also cast doubts on the apparent assassination attempt on Mr Chen. Mr Lian said that only the KMT could bring peace to Taiwan and the mainland

Surveys indicate that the two sides are very close and that neither is likely to win an outright majority.