Taiwan's High Court scheduled a vote recount for May 10, almost two months after the opposition Nationalist Party challenged Chen Shui-bian's victory in an election that he won by a slim margin.

"The court has decided in principle that the recount will be held May 10," court spokesman Wen Yau-yuan said. Details, such as how many judges would oversee the recount, have yet to be decided, he said.

Chen defeated Nationalist Chairman Lien Chan by a margin of less than 30,000 out of 13 million votes cast on March 20. Lien, 67, has alleged Chen may have staged his own shooting on the eve of the election to influence the outcome of the poll. Chen, 53, has denied the allegations.

A recount may take as little as three days, according to Wellington Koo, a lawyer for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Wen said the timetable for the recount is "uncertain."

The court's final ruling on the result may take longer than May 20, the day of the "presidential inauguration." Chen expects to draw 500,000 to his inauguration and opponents may attend, prompting concerns about street violence in Taipei.

Source: China Daily-Agencies