2001 Year-End Elections

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Lee Says Vote to Stabilize Politics
(Taipei Times, Dec. 9, 2001) Former president Lee Teng-hui expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of last weekend's elections, saying that the results have stabilized Taiwan's politics because the public's will was clearly revealed.

Taiwan Expects Hardline from Beijing
(Taipei Times, Dec. 6, 2001) Officials say China's terse interpretation of the results of Saturday's election leaves little hope for any breakthroughs in cross-strait relations. However, in their response to China's reaction, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), urged China once again to set aside political differences and resume cross-strait dialogue.

China Warns Taiwan: 'We're Watching'
(CNN.com, Dec. 5, 2001) In its first official reaction to Taiwan's parliamentary election held last Saturday, China has warned the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party not to move toward declaring statehood. "We will pay a lot of attention to the direction of Taiwan's policies toward the mainland in the wake of the election."

China Cool But Firm over Taiwan Election Result
(Reuters, Dec. 5, 2001) In the first official reaction to Saturday's poll, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said he did not expect the result to affect China-Taiwan relations as most Taiwanese still backed reunification with the mainland.

Cross-Strait Trade Normalization Remains on Track: MAC Head
(China Times, Dec. 4, 2001) The government's ongoing efforts to promote the normalization of cross-strait trade relations have not changed with the recent legislative election, the chairperson of the MAC, Tsai Ing-wen, said.

Push for Autonomy after Taiwan Poll
(Financial Times, Dec. 3, 2001) After a legislative election that underlined his enduring political influence, Lee Teng-hui, former Taiwan president, launched a policy group intended to push his agenda of Taiwanese autonomy and support for his successor, Chen Shui-bian.

Chen Makes Fresh Appeal to Mainland
(AP, Dec. 3, 2001) Bolstered by a weekend election victory, Taiwan's leader on Monday urged rival China to stop ignoring his government and help him improve relations between the rivals that split amid civil war five decades ago.

Policy toward Mainland China Will Not Change, MAC Says
(China Post, Dec. 3, 2001)Taiwan's policy toward mainland China will not undergo any drastic changes after Saturday's parliamentary elections, which saw a landslide win for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a senior mainland policy planner said yesterday.

Taiwan President Chen Breathes Easier After Vote
(Reuters, Dec. 3, 2001) Unexpected election gains for Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party will make life easier for President Chen Shui-bian domestically, but he is likely to find it even harder to make progress in relations with an uneasy China, analysts said.

Taiwan Election Reshapes Political Landscape
(Financial Times, Dec. 2, 2001) Taiwan has entered a new political era with an election that broke the Nationalist party's 52-year hold on the island's legislature and gave the one-time dissidents of the Democratic Progressive party unprecedented parliamentary clout with which to forge a ruling coalition.

Kuomintang Declines to Join Chen's Alliance
(AP, Dec. 2, 2001) Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Nationalist Party turned down President Chen Shui-bian's invitation to join an alliance designed to end severe gridlock, a party spokesman said, one day after the Nationalists lost their five-decade control of Taiwan's legislature.

U.S. Coordinator Says Taiwan Fallout Uncertain
(Reuters, Dec. 1, 2001) The head of U.S. relations with Taiwan played down fears that big election gains made on Saturday by President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) might move the island closer to a formal declaration of independence from China.

Taiwan's Nationalists Swept From Power in Taiwan
(Reuters, Dec. 1, 2001) Taiwan's Nationalist Party was swept from its last political stronghold in elections that transformed the DPP into the largest group in parliament. The landslide defeat for the Nationalists, which held a majority in the outgoing legislature, is sure to alarm Beijing, which will see it emboldening the DPP to move Taiwan further toward independence.

Taiwan President's Party Declares Victory
(CNN, Dec. 1, 2001) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has declared victory in the island's legislative elections, ending five decades of control by the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party.

Lee Says 'R.O.C.' Title No Longer Exists
(Taiwan News, Nov. 30, 2001) Former President Lee Teng-hui put in a last-minute effort to stump for the Taiwan Solidarity Union, saying that safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty is the nation's utmost responsibility and that the name of the "Republic of China" does not exist any longer.

Campaigning Heats Up on Eve of Taiwan Polls
(Reuters, Nov. 30, 2001) Taiwan candidates pulled out all the stops Friday on the eve of general elections that are expected to strip the once-formidable Nationalist Party of its parliamentary majority for the first time. Saturday's elections are expected to lead to a political realignment and a deepening crisis for the once-formidable Nationalists.

Taiwan's Chen Offers Olive Branch
(CNN.com, Nov. 29, 2001) Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian is striking left and right in a last bid to win votes for his embattled Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). With two days left before parliamentary and local-government elections, Chen is sending olive branches to the opposition parties, saying they would be included in a non-partisan National Stability Union cabinet to be set up after the polls.

Beijing Prepares for Taiwan Polls
(CNN.com, Nov. 28, 2001) Beijing is readying plans to blunt separatist sentiments in Taiwan in case pro-independence forces do well in Saturday's parliamentary polls. A Chinese source in Beijing said President Jiang Zemin and his aides on Taiwan policy had prepared different reactions to various possible outcomes.

Lee to Head 'Taiwan Advocates'
(Taiwan News, Nov. 28, 2001) A group of Taiwanese elites will form an "elite strategic alliance" that will combine thoughts with actions, after December's election, former president Lee Teng-hui said yesterday. The aim of the group will be to assist the central government in calming the current political turbulence and to secure the Taiwanese people's dignity and interests, Lee said.

Beijing Relaxed About Taiwan Vote
(Reuters, Nov. 26, 2001) China is taking a fairly relaxed view of Taiwan's parliamentary elections, confident the outcome will be more of the legislative gridlock that has stymied President Chen Shui-bian, top Chinese scholars say.

Chen Elaborates on His `National Stability' Plan
(TT, Nov. 25, 2001) President Chen Shui-bian repeated his suggestion that forming a "cross-party alliance for national stability" was meant to share power with opposition parties, saying he would personally visit party leaders and politicians to persuade them to support the plan.

Opposition Refute CNN Claim Mainland Backing KMT, PFP
(CNA, Nov. 23, 2001) Both of Taiwan's two major opposition parties refuted a report carried on Cable News Network's (CNN's) Web site claiming that mainland China has quietly thrown its support behind them ahead of the island's Dec. 1 elections.

Opposition Snubs Chen's Cross-Party Alliance Plan
(Taiwan Headlines, Nov. 23, 2001) Major opposition parties turned a cold shoulder Thursday to President Chen Shui-bian's latest proposal to form a cross-party alliance after the December 1 elections to maintain domestic political stability.

Chen Calls for National Stabilization Alliance
(Commercial Times, Nov. 22, 2001) President Chen Shui-bian revealed that between election day and the convening of the new Legislature, he will call upon individuals, legislators and political parties to form a "national stabilization alliance," to work together to promote four major topics: reform of the Legislative Yuan, national security, social welfare, and revitalization of the economy.

Taiwan Eyes Post-Election Political Realignment
(Reuters, Nov. 18, 2001) With parliamentary polls just two weeks away, calls have surfaced for Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party to merge with two splinter parties in a post-election political realignment to help its chances of recapturing the presidency in 2004.

Taiwanese Candidates Tighten Belts as Economy Bites
(Reuters, Nov. 16, 2001) Taiwan's battered economy has dampened campaign spending ahead of the December 1 parliamentary and mayoral elections as candidates struggle to raise money from enterprises or supporters. "The election climate is the coldest ever."

Survey Says Taiwan Leader's Party Most Popular
(Reuters, Nov. 2, 2001) With less than a month to go before Taiwan's parliamentary elections, a survey showed President Chen Shui-bian's party in the lead but about a quarter of respondents were still undecided. 22 percent of 814 eligible voters would vote for parliamentary candidates of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party in the December 1 elections.

Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian Tests Coalition Waters
(Reuters, Oct. 31, 2001) President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) floated the idea of entering into a post-election political partnership with one of the island's opposition parties to break a legislative gridlock. Chen is keen to break up a Nationalist-led opposition alliance, which dominates the current legislature and has blocked his initiatives at almost every turn since he took office in May 2000.

Opposition Takes Aim at Chen over APEC Absence
(Taipei Times, Oct. 21, 2001) The KMT and People First Party yesterday criticized the DPP for taking advantage of Taiwan's absence from the APEC summit as a tactic to boost its election campaign, at the expense of national interests.

Taiwan Kicks Off Election Season as Ties with China Eyed
(Reuters, Oct. 7, 2001) Taiwan officially entered election season on Sunday, with candidates registering for pivotal year-end polls, seen as a barometer of future ties with China. The crucial elections, the first since President Chen Shui-bian ended 55 years of one-party rule last year, could redraw the island's political landscape and chart the future course for touchy ties with China.

Scholar Sees Difficulties in Taiwan's Inter-Party Merger
(China Post, Dec. 9, 2001) It's no easy task for Taiwan's major political parties to merge among themselves under the current electoral system, a scholar said Saturday at a seminar on the island's political trends in the wake of the legislative elections.

After Taiwan Election, Chill Persists By Mark Landler
(New York Times, Dec. 8, 2001) When President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan won a landslide victory in legislative elections last weekend, his supporters said it would finally force China to pay heed to their leader. After all, Beijing has plenty of reasons to be alarmed.

DPP Needs to Heal Ethnic Divisions By Wang Jenn-hwan
(Taipei Times, Dec. 8, 2001) Ethnic mobilization manifested itself in last year's presidential election as well as Saturday's elections: the DPP-ruled southern Taiwan against the KMT-ruled central and northern Taiwan. During campaigns, the DPP turned cross-strait relations into an ethnic conflict, while marginalizing economic issues that affect people's livelihoods.

Beijing Keeps its Blinders On
(Editorial, Taipei Times, Dec. 6, 2001) After four days of silence, Beijing finally commented Wednesday on the outcome of Saturday's elections. The remarks from Zhang Mingqing, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, have shown once again that politicians raised in a communist system do not understand democracy.

Taiwan Is Fine on Its Own
(Editorial, LA Times, Dec. 5, 2001) China is already being pressured internally to reassess its Taiwan policy, and economic links are inexorably drawing the two together. This is no time for the United States to rock the boat. It is Beijing, after all, that has to fear the example of Taiwanese democracy.

Taiwan Polls Dash Beijing's Unification Hope By Ching Cheong
(Straits Times, Dec. 4, 2001) Failure of economic integration tactic means China will have to come up with new plans on unification, say analysts. Public opinion polls in Taiwan indicated that Taiwanese support for 'one country two systems' is consistently on the rise.

Mainland 'Willing to be Patient on Taipei'
(South China Morning Post, Dec. 4, 2001) Beijing is unlikely to dramatically adjust its policies towards Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian and his Government.  But some Beijing scholars said a debate was raging among analysts whether Chinese leaders should rethink their long-term strategy in view of Mr Chen's growing influence.

And the Winner Is? Lee Teng-hui By Ralph A. Cossa
(PacNet, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Dec. 3, 2001) The odds of a DPP/TSU coalition seem high, with the resulting 100 seats proving a solid base from which President Chen and the DPP can "flex our strength," according to one senior DPP official. The big question will be how much influence Lee will command behind the scenes and how this will impact cross-Strait relations.

Learning to Live with Chen
(Economist, Dec. 3, 2001) China's tolerant attitude to Taiwan is striking, given its generally tougher stance since September 11th towards what it regards as separatist challenges, particularly in its far-western region of Xinjiang. As far as Taiwan is concerned, however, China seems to have concluded that its interests are best served by remaining aloof.

Campaign Strategies Set New Alliances
(China Post, Dec. 3, 2001) The 2001 local-level government elections put the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT), the largest opposition party, on an equal footing of nine seats each. But the elections lend new impetus to the formation of two major political alliances in future political contests in Taiwan.

Vote Favors Independent Taiwan By Philip P. Pan
(Washington Post, Dec. 2, 2001) A political party that favors Taiwan's independence won the largest number of seats in the legislature for the first time when millions of voters cast ballots today for allies of President Chen Shui-bian, despite an ailing economy and China's efforts to discredit him.

Analysis: Taiwan's Political Shake-Up By Damian Grammaticus
(BBC, Dec. 2, 2001) This is an election defeat of stunning proportions for Taiwan's Kuomintang Party. Even the most dire predictions had not forecast a result this bad for the KMT. "I think we will be doing a deep and thorough examination of our mistakes," said the KMT's chairman. But people will be asking why such an examination was not done a year ago. Lien Chan's position must now be threatened.

Nationalists Are Routed in Taiwan Legislative Election By Mark Landler
(NYT, Dec. 2, 2001) Taiwan's Nationalist Party was routed in legislative elections on the island, completing a political fall from grace that began when it lost the presidency last year. It was a resounding victory for Mr. Chen, who made history last year by leading the opposition party into the presidency. But it was an even more resounding defeat for the Nationalists.

Mission Possible for Chen By Susanne Ganz
(Kyodo News, Nov. 30, 2001) It should be easier for Chen to form a majority government than directly after assuming the presidency, in particular if he manages to lure into his camp individual lawmakers from the KMT who are unhappy with party leader Lien Chan's neoconservative course.

Taiwan's Electoral System Under Fire By Goh Sui Noi
(Straits Times, Nov. 29, 2001) A candidate can get elected with as little as 3 per cent of the vote under Taiwan's special electoral system that has been criticised for breeding corruption and factionalism and producing lawmakers who appeal to minority interests. With multi-member wards and single, non-transferable votes, candidates need not appeal to the majority of voters in a constituency in order to win.

Taiwan Warhorse Charges Back for One Last Battle
(Reuters, Nov. 29, 2001) He famously stood up to mainland Chinese missiles, so the eggs and red ink hurled at former President Lee Teng-hui these days hardly bother him at all. What dismays the former President Lee is the way the island, in his view at least, has lost its stomach for the fight with mainland China.

Economy's Direction in the Hands of Electorate By Dennis Engbarth
(South China Morning Post, Nov. 28, 2001) Ordinarily, voters would punish a government facing data such as that in Taiwan. But widespread resentment over the obstructionism of the KMT-led opposition alliance and the failure of the KMT and its conservative allies to present a convincing strategy for Taiwan's future have allowed Mr Chen and the DPP to seize the initiative.

Taiwan's Party Politics By Michael Bristow
(BBC, Nov. 27, 2001) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the former powerful Kuomintang (KMT) will be the two main parties fighting it out in elections for Taiwan's parliament - the Legislative Yuan - and for city mayors and county chiefs. But with analysts expecting no clear winner in the 225-seat parliament.

Post-Election Taiwan-China Ties Bleak
(AFP, Nov. 27, 2001) Prospects for Taiwan's ties with China will remain bleak regardless of this weekend's parliamentary election results as long as President Chen Shui-bian clings to his pro-independence stance, analysts say.

Taiwan Polls Spotlight Weighty Matters By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, Nov. 26, 2001) War versus peace. Economics versus politics. Native Taiwanese versus mainlanders. These are some of the weighty matters that will be decided at the Taiwan polls on December 1, the first election since Chen Shui-bian became president in March 2001.

No Majority Is in Sight as Elections Bring Uncertainty
(AFP, Nov. 26, 2001) The country is facing a new era of political uncertainty with no party expected to win a majority in the upcoming legislative elections. Like last year's presidential polls, which saw the KMT's 51-year grip on power end, the Dec. 1 elections could be a mixed blessing.

In Taiwan a Discouraging Election Campaign Notable for Its Nastiness By Mark Landler
(New York Times, Nov. 25, 2001) By any conventional political yardstick, President Chen Shui-bian ought to be in deep trouble. Yet as voters here prepare for a legislative election on Saturday, Mr. Chen's allies say the opposition is in such disarray that he may actually emerge in a marginally stronger position.

December Vote May Not Alter Political Conflict Much
(Editorial, China Post, Nov. 21, 2001) There is a high degree of uncertainty about whether such a divided Legislature will enable Chen build a parliamentary majority, a success that would enable him to gain control of the lawmaking body and, moreover, set up a ruling coalition needed to improve the legitimacy of his DPP-led minority government.

Shifting Alliances Shape Taiwan Status By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, Nov. 20, 2001) The Chinese leadership has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to ensure that it will benefit from upcoming parliamentary elections in Taiwan. Beijing's best-case scenario is that the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) tenuous grip on the Legislative Yuan will slip further.

Taiwan's Stars Vie for Votes By Helen Leavey
(BBC, Nov. 20, 2001) Sisy Chen is familiar to many in Taiwan as the host of popular TV talkshow Big Little Sister Sisy. But Ms Sisy is not just a TV celebrity. The former spokeswoman for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is standing as an independent legislative candidate in Taipei in Taiwan's 1 December elections.

Dec. 1 Elections: Vote to Shape Political Landscape By Crystal Hsu
(Taipei Times, Nov. 18, 2001) The Dec. 1 elections for the legislature are expected to shape the formation of a coalition government, realign major political parties and offer a foretaste of the 2004 presidential race. Polls have the DPP and KMT neck and neck. A coalition of either with the expected third-place PFP could determine where power will lie.

Taiwan's Key Election Issues By Michael Bristow
(BBC, Nov. 16, 2001) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the former powerful Kuomintang (KMT) are the two main parties contesting the elections. However, 10 smaller parties, including the People First Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union, could play a crucial role if, as is possible, there is no clear winner.

Deja Vu Feel to Taiwan's Election Campaigning By Goh Sui Noi
(Straits Times, Nov. 11, 201) The figures who hogged TV and other news coverage of the hustings for the Dec 1 legislative, county and city chiefs elections were not the candidates themselves, but last year's three main candidates plus one - whom the media here dubbed as the four heavenly kings .

'1992 Consensus' Becoming a Heated Campaign Issue
(Taipei Times, Nov. 5, 2001) There is now less than a month to go before the legislative and local government elections and campaigning has gone into overdrive. While the DPP and the KMT are concentrating on domestic policy issues, the TSU is trying hard to make itself look less like a one-man show while the PFP is focusing on cross-strait relations

Taiwan President's Book Stirs Controversy By Alice Hung
(Reuters, Nov. 3, 2001) A new book launched by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Saturday is stirring controversy, drawing fire from the opposition and being seen as a bid to win votes for his own party ahead of December elections.

Chen Says Taiwan Moving Towards Presidential System
(China Post, Nov. 2, 2001) Defying an opposition camp claim that the ROC constitution provides for a dual-leadership system, President Chen Shui-bian insists that after several rounds of amendments to constitutional provisions the nation is moving towards a presidential system.

Ex-President Steps Up Anti-KMT Tirade
(China Post, Oct. 13, 2001) Retired president Lee Teng-hui stepped up his tirade against the Kuomintang, asking voters not to give the former ruling party any chance to come back to power. The upcoming legislative elections will decide stability of Taiwan for the next five decades, hence Taiwan should never fall into hands of the "alien power," said Lee, who was expelled by the KMT weeks ago.

KMT Accuses Lee Teng-hui of Betrayal
(Straits Times, Oct. 9, 2001) In a strongly worded open letter to its members, the Kuomintang (KMT) explained why it had expelled Mr Lee - the party's chairman for 12 years until it lost the presidential election last year.