Angry supporters of narrowly defeated presidential challenger Mr Lien Chan stormed Taiwan's Central Election Commission today but failed to stop it from formally declaring the re-election of incumbent Mr Chen Shui-bian.
With emotions running high, lawmakers from Mr Lien's Nationalist Party and Mr Chen's Democratic Progressive Party once again proved incapable of agreeing on how to revise the election law to allow a recount.
The protesters at election headquarters in central Taipei threw rocks and eggs and scuffled with riot police before storming into the building where commission members were meeting.
"Truth unclear, suspend declaration", shouted the several hundred demonstrators. "Down with the commission."
They had been gathered outside since early morning to demand that the commission desist from declaring a winner in last Saturday's election before a decision on a recount is reached.
In the event, the commission agreed without a vote that Mr Chen was indeed the winner and said the result would be posted later. Mr Chen won by just 30,000 votes out of 13 million cast, a margin of 0.2 per cent.
Mr Lien demanded a recount after losing the most closely fought presidential vote in Taiwan's young democracy. The result was swung at the last minute by a sympathy vote for Mr Chen after he was slightly wounded in an election eve assassination attempt.