Anti-communist Democratic Progressive Party (DP) candidate Lai Ching-toku won Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday, defeating two left-wing rivals in a campaign that emphasized Taiwan's sovereignty in the face of growing threats from China.
Mr. Lai, sometimes known by his Western name William Lai, is the current vice president and the first candidate in Taiwan's democracy's young history to secure a third term for a party.as the original doctorLai rose to prominence as an authority during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, during which Taiwan became the first country to alert the World Health Organization to the spread of the new disease in China. I raised it, but it was no use. performance to contain the infection and prevent widespread death.
Rai is success Current President Tsai Ing-wen was inaugurated at the inauguration ceremony on May 20th.
Mr. Lai's victory and the Democratic Progressive Party's continued rule are also the result of a major change in the perception of Taiwanese identity in Taiwan. More than 62 percent of Taiwanese identify only as Taiwanese, while only about 2.5 percent identify as Chinese, a relationship maintained by language and culture rather than government structure. Percentage.According to a public opinion poll by Taiwan's National Chengchi University Election Research Center, less than half of the respondents, about 30 percent, identify themselves as “Taiwanese Chinese,” Channel News Asia. report In the last week of the election.
Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) is a sovereign, democratic island nation off the coast of China. Historically, it has never been ruled by a Beijing-based regime and has no military, administrative, or other political ties to China. Modern Taiwan is Founded Although it became independent in 1912, it did not become an independent nation until the collapse of the Japanese Empire in 1945.
Rai received According to the Central Election Commission's national tally, at the time of writing, 99 percent of the votes had been recorded, amounting to about 5.5 million votes, or 40.1 percent. Opinion polls showed that opinions of Mr. Lai were divided. Hou Yuxi, the candidate of the establishment-left Kuomintang Party (KMT), received 33.46% (4.7 million votes) of the vote, with 99% of the votes cast. Outsider Ke Wen-ji of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) received 26.44% (3.6 million people).
(LR) Mr. Lai Ching-de, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DP); Mr. Hou Yong-hui, presidential candidate of the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (Kuomintang); Mr. Ko Wen-ji, presidential candidate of the opposition Taiwan People's Party December 30, 2023 , taking a photo at a debate in Taipei (TPP) (Photo by Pei Cheng/POOL/AFP).
China's presence looms large in Taiwan's presidential election, sometimes literally, as was the case when Chinese spy balloons flew over Taiwan during the first weekend of this year, with Mr. Lai personally being branded a “separatist” who would push China and Taiwan apart. I despised it. approaching war. Mr. Lai's rivals, Mr. Hou and Mr. Ke, campaigned on voters calling for more dialogue and concessions to China to avoid aggression.
In his victory speech, Lai expressed high hopes for Taiwan. liberty times Describing it as an “olive branch” to China, he called on Beijing to treat Taiwan with “equal dignity” as a nation and to accept that “peace is in the interests of both parties.”
“We are not making any provocation. Taiwan just wants to maintain its democratic and free way of life,” he said. liberty times Lai put it this way:
“The Taiwanese people have successfully resisted efforts by outside forces to influence this election,” he told supporters, according to one report. translation Published in an Indian newspaper Hindustan Times. “We are not going to be enemies with China. We can be friends. We are determined to protect Taiwan from continued threats and intimidation from China.”
“I would like to thank the Taiwanese people for writing a new chapter in our democracy,” he told the nation. “We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we stand on the side of democracy.”
today, #Taiwan We once again demonstrated to the world the commitment of our people to democracy. @Bikim And we appreciate the trust you have placed in us. Looking to the future, we remain committed to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and being a force for good in the international community. pic.twitter.com/9Xq18uRwxB
— Lai Ching-te (@ChingteLai) January 13, 2024
Mr. Ke's rise in the polls was a confusing factor in the election, as the Kuomintang has traditionally been a major party with pro-China policies. Left-wing groups in Taiwan have expressed concern that the presence of the TPP could split the votes of both parties, leading to Lai's victory. The two parties discussed the possibility of creating a “unity” ticket with both candidates in November, but talks broke down after they could not agree on which candidate would be the other party's running mate. The short-lived presidential bid by Terry Gou, head of the giant multinational tech company Foxconn, also threw the anti-Lai vote into turmoil.
The two unsuccessful candidates received more than 7 million votes in total, while Mr. Yori received 5.5 million votes, suggesting that if the opposition parties to the Democratic Party had united, they could have defeated the ruling party. Suggests. In contrast, President Tsai received 8.17 million votes in the 2020 election.
The Democratic Party also had disappointing results in the parliamentary elections.The National Party is by a narrow margin won The number of seats in the Legislative Yuan, the national legislative body, is 52 to 51 seats away from the Democratic Progressive Party.protect the Kuomintang from danger majority TPP won eight seats. The outcome is likely to make it more difficult for Lai to enact domestic policy, but the impact on the party's approach to China will be minimal.
