The reason this election received so much international attention is that it was the first one after the ruling party announced its intention to lift martial law, and the first one since opposition forces declared the formation of the "Democratic Progress Party."
這次選舉所以深受國際矚目，在於它為執政黨宣佈即將解除戒嚴後的第一次選舉；它也是政治反對勢力宣佈成立「民主進步黨」後的首次選舉，等於是國內選戰出現的第一次激烈組織型態競爭。