While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday won the presidential election, political watchers said that it faces an unprecedented three-way split in the Legislative Yuan that might see the formation of the first non-partisan Cabinet, which would also be a first for the Taiwan.
Pundits said that once Vice President William Lai (賴清德) takes office, he would face a tough time in the legislature, as the DPP has lost its majority.
The DPP won 51 legislative seats, the KMT won 52 and the TPP eight.
Photo: Alastair Pike, AFP
The DPP, which had held a majority in the 113-seat body since 2016, had a net loss of 11 seats, dropping from 62 and losing its position of dominance.
Lai would have a tougher time than former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), whose presidency from 2000 to 2008 coincided with a KMT legislative majority, academics said, adding that Lai must think about how he will interact with a three-way split in the branch.
Political commentator Huang Yang-ming (黃揚明) said that Lai would have to learn how to make compromises with the other parties.
Photo: Ng Han Guan, AP
During an international news conference announcing his victory, Lai said he would look into measures to appoint people to positions without partisan bias.
The three-way split in the legislature highlights the need for communication, participation and collaboration among all parties, Lai said, adding that he would mull measures on how to incorporate the policy platforms of the KMT’s presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Hou would be forced to consider how to mend relations with DPP supporters as he continues his mayoral term, Huang said, adding that the outcome of the presidential election might have terminated Hou’s political career.
Winning over the younger generation and the KMT’s cross-strait policy remain key factors in how the party would remain politically relevant, Huang said.
The TPP will have to consider how it fosters its support base for another presidential bid, he said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Lai would have limited ability to pass legislation without a legislative majority.
He could appoint a Cabinet with some opposition or non-party figures to show that he is willing to reach across the political aisle to get laws passed, it reported.
However, the opposition might not want to play ball, it said.
China, which had portrayed the presidential election as a choice between war and peace, might be mollified that Lai, unlike President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), will not have free rein to do what he wants, the report said, adding that it might not react too strongly to his election victory.
China could hold back until Lai’s inauguration speech on May 20, but might initiate some form of military response or increase its economic coercion in response to his victory, it said.
Lai is a “known quantity” for the US, having served as vice president since 2020, and he has repeatedly pledged not to change the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait and offered talks with China, it added.
Lai and Tsai reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan, and say Taiwan is already an independent country and its people should decide its future, it said.
The presidential election is seen as having “real and lasting influence on the geopolitical landscape,” said Gabrielle Reid, associate director of the global intelligence consultancy S-RM.
“The outcome of the vote will ultimately determine the nature of ties with China relative to the West and will have a strong bearing on the state of play in the South China Sea,” she said.
Additional reporting by Yang Cheng-yu, CNA and AP
Taiwan aims to open 18 representative offices and seven Taiwan Tourism Information Centers worldwide by next year to attract international visitors, the Tourism Administration said on Saturday. The agency has so far opened three representative offices abroad this year and would open two more before the end of the year, it said. It has also already opened information centers in Jakarta, Mumbai and Paris, and is to open one in Vancouver next month and in Manila in December, it said. Next year, it would also open offices in Amsterdam, Dubai and Sydney, it added. While the Cabinet did not mention international tourists in its
EYES AT SEA: Many marine enthusiasts have expressed interest in volunteering for coastal patrols, which would help identify stowaways and illegal fishing, the CGA said Six thousand coastal patrol volunteers are to be recruited for 159 inspection offices to enhance the nation’s response to “gray zone” conflicts, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) sources said yesterday. Volunteer teams would be established to increase the resilience of coastal defense systems in the wake of two unlawful entries attempted by Chinese over the past three months, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. A former Chinese navy captain drove a motorboat into the Tamsui River (淡水河) in Taipei on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, while another Chinese man sailed in a rubber boat into the Houkeng
NEXT LEVEL: The defense ministry confirmed that a video released last month featured personnel piloting new FPV drone systems being developed by the Armaments Bureau Taipei and Washington are pushing for their drone companies to work together to establish a China-free supply chain, the Financial Times reported on Friday. A delegation of high-level executives and US government officials were yesterday to arrive in Taipei to discuss with their Taiwanese counterparts collaboration on drone technology procurement and development, the report said. The executives represent 26 US manufacturers of drone and counter-drone systems, while the officials are from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, along with Dev Shenoy, principal director for microelectronics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
‘ANONYMOUS 64’: A national security official said that it is an attempt by China to increase domestic anti-Taiwanese sentiment and inflame cross-strait tensions The Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) yesterday denied accusations by China that it had undermined regional security by carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, adding instead that Beijing was responsible for raising tensions and undermining regional peace. The Chinese Ministry of State Security on WeChat accused a hacker group called “Anonymous 64” of targeting China, Hong Kong and Macau starting earlier this year through frequent cyberattacks. The group carried out cyberattacks to seize control of Web sites, outdoor electronic billboards and video-on-demand platforms in China, Hong Kong and Macau, it said, adding the hackers’