The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday retained its legislative majority, garnering 61 of the 113 seats, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won 38 seats.
The Taiwan People’s Party, led by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), snatched five seats after gaining 11.2 percent of the party vote, while the New Power Party (NPP) won three seats with 7.8 percent of the party vote.
Despite the backing of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), the People First Party (PFP) failed to pass the 5 percent threshold of party votes and is to lose its representation at the Legislative Yuan.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
In Taipei’s third electoral district (Zhongshan-Northern Songshan), DPP challenger Enoch Wu (吳怡農), who won 99,539 votes, failed to upset KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who had 112,784 votes.
On the campaign trail, Wu had launched a movement to boycott KMT legislator-at-large nominee Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who is No. 4 on the KMT’s legislator-at-large list and stands to take a seat in the legislature.
Following hours of tug-of-war in Taipei’s fourth electoral district (Nangang-Neihu), DPP Taipei City Councilor Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) obtained 125,138 votes, narrowly beating KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), who had 118,432.
Former KMT legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) failed to reclaim his seat in Taipei’s fifth electoral district (Zhongzheng-Wanhua), losing again to independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), who ousted Lin four years ago as an NPP legislative candidate.
Meanwhile, several incumbent legislators representing Taoyuan were ousted. KMT legislators Apollo Chen (陳學聖) and John Wu (吳志揚) failed to defend their seats, losing to independent legislative candidate Chao Chen-yu (趙正宇) and DPP legislative candidate Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) respectively.
KMT Taoyuan City Councilor Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) defeated incumbent DPP Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清).
In Taichung, independent Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), who had 90,213 votes, lost to former KMT legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), who had 91,182 votes, by a razor-thin margin following a drawn-out count.
After initially saying that she would request a recount, Hung said that she accepted the outcome.
In the 2016 legislative election, Hung garnered 93,451 votes, defeating Yang, who was seeking re-election, by 15,117 votes.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislative candidate Wonda Chen (陳柏惟), a dark horse candidate, beat KMT Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恆), son of former Non-partisan Solidarity Union legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), who is chairman of Dajia Jenn Lann Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮).
Former Yunlin County commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) of the DPP edged out her KMT rival, Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡), daughter of former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味), an influential figure in the county.
The DPP had a complete sweep in Kaohsiung, where all eight of its candidates — Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺), Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), Lee Kuen-tse (李昆澤), Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) — were elected.
DPP Tainan chapter director Huang Hsien-chu (黃先柱) said that the party’s victories were thanks to an improved political atmosphere.
The Hong Kong pro-democracy protests — and the Chinese-leaning legislator-at-large candidates nominated by the KMT — deepened unease regarding China, Huang Hsien-chu said.
The election results were also thanks to the DPP’s unity, while the KMT remained divided, he said.
In the 2016 legislative elections, the DPP gained 68 seats (60 percent), while the KMT won 35 (31 percent), the NPP five and the PFP three.
Additional reporting by Tsai Wen-chu
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military