Faction versus Ideology: Mobilization Strategies in Taiwan&#39;s Elections

Nationalist Party ◽

Opposition Party ◽

On 2 December 1989, voters on Taiwan cast ballots to elect national legislators (lifaweiyuan), provincial and city representatives (sheng/shiyiyuari) and county executives (xianzhang). Though the Nationalist Party (KMT) received 59 per cent of the overall vote, the election was widely viewed as a surprising success for the fledgling opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), since the KMT had polled over 70 per cent of the vote in all previous elections. James Soong, Secretary-General of the KMT, announced after an emergency meeting of the shocked KMT leadership, “We calmly accept an upset.”

TAIWAN ELECTION 2020: MORE AMBITIOUS TAIWANESE IDENTITY AND DEVELOPING CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACHES

10.31219/osf.io/uxt62 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Teoman Ertuğrul Tulun

Keyword(s):

Republic Of China ◽

Opposition Party ◽

Taiwanese Identity ◽

The incumbent president of Taiwan (Republic of China-RoC) Tsai Ing-Wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a landslide victory in the elections on 11 January 2020 over Daniel Han Kuo-yu of the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT).

No Winds of Change: Taiwan's 2012 National Elections and the Post-Election Fallout

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs ◽

10.1177/186810261204100307 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 143-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gunter Schubert

Keyword(s):

Election Campaigns ◽

China Policy ◽

National Elections ◽

Opposition Party ◽

Legislative Yuan ◽

The Future ◽

Election Results ◽

Taiwan held its first combined national elections on 14 January 2012. Though the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the largest opposition party, fared much better in the Legislative Yuan elections than it did in 2008, DPP presidential contender Tsai Ying-wen's (Cai Yingwen) clear defeat at the hands of the Kuomintang (KMT, Guomindang) incumbent, Ma Ying-jeou (Ma Yingjiu), in the presidential race came as a surprise. The article examines the election campaigns of both Tsai and Ma, summarizes the election results, and analyses the reasons why the DPP failed to retake the presidency. It then discusses the postelection debate within the DPP on the future of its China policy and ponders what can be expected from the second Ma administration.

Misalignment between Social Movements and Political Parties in Taiwan’s 2016 Election

Asian Survey ◽

10.1525/as.2018.58.5.874 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 58 (5) ◽

pp. 874-897 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lev Nachman

Keyword(s):

Social Movements ◽

Political Parties ◽

Political Party ◽

Presidential Election ◽

Nationalist Party ◽

2016 Election ◽

Progressive Party ◽

Opposition Movement

Why would opposition movement activists not support an established opposition political party? Taiwan’s 2016 presidential election is apropos. This study shows that the Democratic Progressive Party lost support from leftist activists not only because of ideological distance but because they see the party as flawed and ineffective. But activists still voted strategically for Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP to thwart the Nationalist Party from winning the election.

Taiwan Politics: Cross-strait Relations Continue to dominate

East Asian Policy ◽

10.1142/s1793930512000050 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 04 (01) ◽

pp. 58-67

Author(s):

Katherine Hui-yi TSENG ◽

Min-hua CHIANG

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Presidential Election ◽

Economic Cooperation ◽

Close Attention ◽

Framework Agreement ◽

Opposition Party ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

While the Ma administration claims that the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is a means to promote Taiwan's economic growth, the opposition party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), continues to blame the Kuomintang for its negative impacts on Taiwan's economy. Politically, limited progress on cross-strait relations has been made. Beijing and Washington had paid close attention to Taiwan's 2012 presidential election for the unpredictable variables it may add to future China-US relations.

China ties at stake again as Taiwan polls approach

Emerald Expert Briefings ◽

10.1108/oxan-db198283 ◽

2015 ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Presidential Candidate ◽

China Policy ◽

Content Type ◽

Parliamentary Elections ◽

Presidential Nomination ◽

Opposition Party ◽

2016 Election ◽

Subject Politics in Taiwan as the 2016 election comes into view. Significance Public opinion continues to swell for Taiwan's chief opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections come into view. A recent poll indicated that more than 57% of respondents believed that the DPP's likely presidential candidate, Tsai Ing-wen, would be elected president. Tsai, currently the only candidate for the DPP presidential nomination, will unite the party. Other heavyweight candidates have already bowed out. Impacts The lack of a primary challenge will let Tsai move toward the centre on cross-Strait relations. A more moderate China policy will allow Tsai to prevent a rift with Washington, Taiwan's most important ally. The DPP's economic populism will prevent serious debate over heavily subsidised energy and healthcare. China would prefer a Kuomintang victory but will moderate its pre-election comments to avoid a backlash that helps the DPP.

The Democratic Progressive Party in 2000: Obstacles and Opportunities

The China Quarterly ◽

10.1017/s0009443901000559 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. 944-959 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shelley Rigger

Keyword(s):

Presidential Election ◽

Political System ◽

Political Power ◽

Opposition Party ◽

National Office ◽

Since its inception in 1986, Taiwan's main opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has struggled to establish itself as a competitor for national political power. The victory of DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian in the 2000 presidential election marked a major breakthrough, not only for the DPP, but for Taiwan's young democracy as well. This article examines the party's history with an eye to explaining both its extended failure to win national office and its eventual success. The paper identifies two sets of factors: aspects of Taiwan's political system that worked to the advantage of the ruling KMT and historical errors committed by the DPP. It then shows how the KMT's advantages degraded in 2000, just as the DPP overcame its self-imposed liabilities, resulting in a DPP presidency.

Taiwan in 2010

Asian Survey ◽

10.1525/as.2011.51.1.76 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 76-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Hung-Mao Tien ◽

Chen-Yuan Tung

Keyword(s):

Economic Cooperation ◽

Taiwan Strait ◽

National Elections ◽

Framework Agreement ◽

Nationalist Party ◽

Mayoral Elections ◽

The Taiwan Strait ◽

Economic Ties ◽

The November 2010 urban mayoral elections in Taiwan will set the stage for national elections in 2012 between the Nationalist Party and the rising Democratic Progressive Party. Meanwhile, Taiwan and China successfully concluded the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in summer 2010, deepening economic ties across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's State and Social Movements Under the DPP Government, 2000–2004

Journal of East Asian Studies ◽

10.1017/s1598240800002058 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 401-425 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Ming-sho Ho

Keyword(s):

Social Movements ◽

Social Movement ◽

Economic Recession ◽

Contentious Politics ◽

Political Orientation ◽

Opportunity Structure ◽

Conservative Policy ◽

Movement Strategy ◽

This article explores the evolution of social movement politics under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government (2000–2004) by using the perspective of political opportunity structure. Recent “contentious politics” in Taiwan is analyzed in terms of four changing dimensions of the opportunity structure. First, the DPP government opens some policy channels, and social movement activists are given chances to work within the institution. Yet other features of the political landscape are less favorable to movement activists. Incumbent elites' political orientation shifts. As the economic recession sets in, there is a conservative policy turn. Political instability incurs widespread countermoblization to limit reform. Last, the Pan-Blue camp, now in opposition, devises its own social movement strategy. Some social movement issues gain political salience as a consequence of the intervention of the opposition parties, but its excessive opportunism also encourages the revolt of antireform forces. As a result of these countervailing factors, social movements have made only limited gains from the recent turnover of power.

The One-China Principle: The Positions of the Communist Party of China (CCP), the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)

American Foreign Policy Interests ◽

10.1080/10803920.2000.10392071 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 22-31

Author(s):

Xu Shiquan

Keyword(s):

Communist Party ◽

Communist Party Of China ◽

The One ◽

Signs of Change? An Analysis of Taiwan's December 2009 Local Elections

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs ◽

10.1177/186810261003900109 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 175-197

Author(s):

Stefan Braig

Keyword(s):

Local Elections ◽

County Level ◽

Stable Position ◽

Government Decision ◽

Special Circumstances ◽

Under special circumstances created by a government decision to partly merge and upgrade six counties and county-level cities to special municipality status, local elections took place on December 5, 2009 in areas covering less than half of Taiwan's population. The results are generally seen as an important, though small, victory for the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) (Guomindang), however, has remained in a stable position, while the DPP still has a long way to go towards a comeback.