TAIPEI, Nov 30, 2009 (AFP) - Taiwanese authorities on Monday pledged to eradicate vote-buying and violence from election campaigning in the run up to weekend polls seen as a mid-term test for President Ma Ying-jeou.

Taiwan's Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng has spent much of the past month travelling around the island to spread the message ahead of Saturday's ballot to elect new mayors, magistrates and local legislators.

'We've been trying to educate the public not to accept bribes from candidates campaigning for Saturday's vote,' Tsai Jui-tsung, chief of the ministry's Prosecutorial Affairs Department, told AFP.

Despite the efforts, 'there is still room for improvement... especially in the rural areas where some election candidates were found to have offered up to 5,000 Taiwan dollars (S$214) for each ballot.'

Law-enforcement authorities have also cracked down on election fraud.

As of Monday 23 people had been indicted on vote-buying charges while three were indicted on violence charges related to the elections, according to government figures.

Offering bribes in exchange for votes carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

Saturday's poll is seen as a mid-term test for Ma, with the ruling Kuomintang party he chairs struggling to retain the overwhelming lead it secured in election three years ago.

Recent surveys have shown Ma's approval rating at around 30 percent.