Taiwan’s new president Tsai Ing-wen faces a dilemma. If she continues her Kuomintang (KMT) predecessor Ma Ying-jeou’s rapprochement with Beijing, she risks enraging independence-minded members of her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The alternative is grimmer — provoking China after years of cordiality.
On 20 May, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Tsai Ing-wen was inaugurated as the 14th president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The ceremony, held in front of the Japanese colonial-era presidential building, included theatrical re-enactments of key themes and events in the history of Taiwan.
On 20 May Tsai Ing-wen was inaugurated as president of Taiwan, following her sweeping victory in the January elections. Members of her party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), have already taken up their majority seats in the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s parliament.
Since the election, Tsai has assembled her new cabinet and made senior government appointments. These include Dr. David Lee as minister for foreign affairs and Katharine Chang as chair of the Mainland Affairs Council.
In January 2016, Tsai Ing-wen was elected president of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan). She will take office later this month. As the first president from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in eight years, Tsai’s election represents a wildcard of sorts for the ROC’s ongoing claims in the South China Sea.
Since the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a landslide victory in presidential and congressional elections earlier this year, many experts have expressed anxiety about the future of cross-Strait relations. There are widespread concerns about whether the new government, led by Tsai Ing-wen, will try to adopt certain symbols of Taiwanese independence.
Consolidated democracies in Asia are rare. India and Japan democratised after World War II, and Taiwan and South Korea did so from the late 1980s. Countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Mongolia have made important first steps but democracy remains fragile. Taiwan has just undergone its third change of government since 2000. Unfortunately, for the Taiwanese people, the administrations of Presidents Chen Shui-bian (2000–2008) and Ma Ying-jiu (2008–2016) promised much but delivered little.
After a historic, overwhelming election victory on 16 January, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led by Tsai Ing-wen will dominate Taiwan’s executive and legislative branches starting on 20 May.
On 16 January, Taiwan will go to the polls to elect members of parliament and a new president. With three major presidential candidates competing for the highest office and 18 parties vying for seats in the parliament, the election may result in a unified or a divided government.
Taiwan’s general elections are scheduled for 16 January 2016, but their outcome has been obvious for some time. While the new president and makeup of the Legislative Yuan will surprise few, the elections will have profound implications for regional security and cross-Strait relations.
The campaign for Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election on 16 January 2016 is one of the most surprising in the island’s political history. In past presidential elections, candidates mainly campaigned on divisive ideological issues such as Taiwanese self-identification and whether Taiwan should become independent or unify with mainland China. Yet this time candidates have not framed their campaigns according to those traditional cleavages.
