TSR-Party Politics

Polls

Survey: 2012 Presidential Election
(United Daily News, Mar. 19, 2010) If voted today, DPP’s Su Tseng-chang will claim 38% of the ballots against Ma Ying-jeou’s 29%.

Party Identification Tracking Analysis in Taiwan: February 2010
(GVSRC, Mar. 2010) 30.9% of people say they are KMT supporters while 20.0% DPP; meanwhile, 37.6% identify themselves as independent.

The President, the Cabinet, and the Lawmakers’ Approval Ratings
(GVSRC, Feb. 23, 2009) 34.5% of Taiwanese people approve President Ma’s performance over the past nine months. The approval rate is 33% for Premier Liu.

2012 Legislative Election: KMT Maintains Majority
(Taipei Times, Jan. 15, 2012) The KMT will return with 17 fewer seats in the new legislature, while the DPP gained 13 seats and the PFP and TSU each gained three seats. 2012 Legislative Election Results

Pan-Blue Alliance at Risk: PFP
(China Post, Jul. 16, 2011) Cooperation between the ruling Kuomintang and the People First Party in January's elections is impossible now that the latter's chairman has unveiled a plan that virtually has ruled out such a possibility, a PFP official said.

DPP Has Landslide Win in By-elections
(China Post, Mar. 6, 2011) Candidates of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party easily carried both available seats up for grabs in the legislative by-elections in southern Taiwan.

DPP Takes legal Action Over Election-Eve Shooting
(China Post, Jan. 1, 2011) The main opposition Democratic Progressive Party decided to take legal action to void the results of “unfair” mayoral races in three special municipalities because of an election-eve shooting.

US Diplomat Burghardt Recognizes Taiwan’s Democratic Achievement (CNA, Dec. 2, 2010) President Ma Ying-jeou said he felt deep regret over a shooting incident on the eve of recent municipal elections, while the top U.S. liaison officer with Taipei lauded Taiwan's response to it as a sign of political maturity.

Taiwan’s Opposition Party Proposes Dialogue with China
(AP, Dec. 1, 2010) Taiwan's main opposition leader said yesterday she will establish a think tank to help create “a peaceful and stable framework for interacting with China.”

Tensions in DPP Heighten after Defeats
(Taipei Times, Nov. 30, 2010) Some in the party’s elder faction are pressuring Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen to step down, saying that others have done so after similar defeats.

KMT Wins Taipei, Xinbei, Taichung
(China Post, Nov. 28, 2010) The Kuomintang grabbed Taipei, Xinbei and Taichung, while the Democratic Progressive Party won in Kaohsiung and Tainan in mayoral elections that saw the opposition camp gain the largest share of the vote.

Taiwan Holds City Elections After Campaign Shooting
(Bloomberg, Nov. 27, 2010) Taiwan voters choose mayors in elections today after Sean Lien, son of Taiwan’s former vice president Lien Chan, was shot and wounded while campaigning for the ruling Kuomintang party on the eve of the ballots.

Taiwan Political Parties Clash in Key Mayoral Races
(Wall Street Journal, Nov. 25, 2010) The outcome won't derail Taiwan's moves to strengthen economic ties with the fast-growing giant next door, but it will give the Kuomintang and the DPP a chance to fine-tune policies ahead of a presidential election in 2012.

Top KMT Aide to Quit If Party Fails to Win 3 Cities
(CNA, Nov. 23, 2010) The manager of the ruling Kuomintang's election campaigns in five municipalities in Taiwan said that he would step down if the party underperforms in the mayoral elections.

Taiwanese Rally in Support of Govt
(AP, Nov. 21, 2010) Thousands of government supporters are waving banners and chanting in downtown Taipei to show support for the China-friendly administration ahead of key elections this coming week.

Tsai to Run for Xinbei Mayor
(China Post, May 24, 2010) Tsai Ing-wen announced her decision to run for the Xinbei City mayoral election, shortly after winning reelection as the Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman by a landslide against challenger You Ching.

Tsai Ing-wen Pledges to Pursue Pragmatic China Policy
(CNA, May 15, 2010) DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen advocated what she called a "pragmatic China policy" based on the principles of independent sovereignty for Taiwan and peaceful engagement with China.

No Political Precondition If DPP Meets China: Tsai
(China Post, May 15, 2010) Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen recently reiterated the party's position that it will not rule out holding talks with China, as long as no political preconditions are set.

DPP Denies Opening Talks with China
(Taipei Times, May 12, 2010) While Reuters quoted the DPP chief as saying the party had organized a group to open talks with China, the DPP said Tsai Ing-wen had not addressed that issue.

Talks Must Be Based on ‘One China’: Xu
(China Post, May 4, 2010) Any dialogue between China and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must be based on the “One China” principle, a professor with Beijing Union University said.

DPP Leadership Signals Willingness to Talk to Beijing
(Taipei Times, May 3, 2010) Speaking on the party’s future China policy, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen said that, stripped of political preconditions, the DPP “does not discount the idea of entering into direct and realistic dialogue with China.”

DPP Sees Trust Crisis between Ages
(China Post, Apr. 12, 2010) Taiwan's society is faced with a crisis of trust among generations instead of political divisions, according to opposition DPP leader when laying the groundwork for pursuing the party's policy guidelines for the coming decade.

DPP to Unveil ’10-year’ Political Platform in Aug.
(CNA, Mar. 14, 2010) The opposition DPP expects to unveil a “10-year” political platform that will address the challenges Taiwan faces in the coming decade when it holds its plenary assembly in August.

More Setbacks for KMT in By-election Defeats
(China Post, Feb. 28, 2010) The ruling Kuomintang suffered yet another defeat as it only managed to take one of four seats up for grabs in with remaining three going to the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

KMT Set Back Again
(China Post, Jan. 10, 2010) The ruling Kuomintang suffered another setback as it lost all three seats up for grabs in the legislative by-elections to the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

Next Year’s Elections a Watershed: Tsai
(CNA, Dec. 9, 2009) While the local elections last Saturday may have boosted the morale of the opposition DPP, the real watershed for both the DPP and the ruling KMT will be the 2010 municipality elections, said DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen.

A ‘Tsai Ing-wen Lin’ Takes Shape in DPP, Scholars Say
(China Post, Dec. 7, 2009) The Democratic Progressive Party's gains in the just-ended local elections have bolstered the leadership of Tsai Ing-wen in what can be called a post-Chen Shui-bian era, party heavyweights and political observers have said.

KMT Suffers Setback
(China Post, Dec. 6, 2009) The ruling Kuomintang suffered a setback in local elections, losing control of one of the most tightly contested counties to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which saw a general increase in support.

Taiwan’s Ma Mulls China Policy After Vote: Analysts
(AFP, Dec. 6, 2009) Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou may slow down an aggressive push for improved ties with China after the island's voters showed disquiet with his policies in local elections this weekend, analysts said.

Taiwan’s China-Friendly Party on Test in Local Poll
(Reuters, Dec. 4, 2009) Taiwan voters went to the polls Saturday to elect local officials in the first test of China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou's popularity since he took power a year-and-a-half ago.

Taiwan’s Other Election No Less Crucial for China Ties By James Pomfret (Reuters, Jan. 11, 2012) Taiwan’s presidential poll this weekend is the focus of much international attention, but the concurrent election to the island’s combative parliament will have almost as much impact on policy change and the pace of integration with mainland China.

Time for the DPP to Start a Dialogue with China By Tseng Chien-yuan (Taipei Times, Dec. 4, 2010) DPP needs to find a way to cooperate with the progressive forces within China, embracing them as strategic partners and allies of Taiwanese constitutional democracy.

Taiwan Elections Put Pro-China Party in Lead for Presidency By Ralph Jennings (VoA, Nov. 29, 2010) Local election victories appear to have given Taiwan's pro-China Nationalist Party a head start in holding onto the presidency in 2012.

Concern Grows Over ‘Yeltsin Effect’
(CNA, Nov. 30, 2010) The regional divide between northern and southern Taiwan could be clearly seen in the Nov. 27 elections for five municipalities, which could also cause a so-called “Yeltsin effect,” scholars at a forum said.

Election Results Should Sound Alarm Bells for President By Mo Yan-Chih (Taipei Times, Nov. 29, 2010) The Chinese Nationalist Party won three of the five mayoral seats in Saturday’s special municipality election, but saw a drop in its overall share of the vote that signaled a warning for President Ma Ying-jeou’s re-election bid in 2012, political watchers said.

Mayoral Elections Show Increase in Support for DPP By David Young (China Post, Nov. 28, 2010) The political topography did not change after the mayoral elections, but the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party's gains in Xinbei and Taichung were alarming for the ruling Kuomintang.

Taiwan Elections May Hinge on China By Michael Wines
(New York Times, Nov. 27, 2010) The nation’s overriding diplomatic issue, relations with the Chinese mainland, is likely to be foremost in analysts’ and scholars’ minds as they parse the results.

Economy Key to Looming Elections By Hong Chi-chang
(Taipei Times, Sep. 20, 2010) The KMT has made a mistake by ignoring ordinary people’s perceptions of the overall economic climate and overlooking the issues that concern them most in the run-up to the municipal elections.

Thinking about a Future DPP Government By David G. Brown
(PacNet #13, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Mar. 23, 2010) If the party remains wedded to pursuing policies to achieve de jure independence, it should understand that Taiwan and US interests would increasingly diverge.

Weekend Losses May Have Ripple Effect for KMT By Mo Yan-chih
(Taipei Times, Mar. 1, 2010) The KMT’s defeat in Saturday’s legislative by-elections could have a domino effect and the party could suffer yet another setback in the special municipality elections at the end of the year if it fails to integrate local factions and present better policies, political observers said.

DPP Needs to Build on Trust of People: Tsai
(Taipei Times, Dec. 19, 2009) DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen discussed the results of the local government elections on Dec. 5 with the ‘Liberty Times.’

The DPP Still Has a Long Road to Recovery By Hong Chi-chang
(Taipei Times, Dec. 14, 2009) If we add the 7 percent that went to candidates who broke KMT party discipline by standing in the elections, the ratio of votes going to the pan-blue and pan-green camps was still about 55 to 45.

Taiwan Elections a Warning to Ma By Cindy Sui
(Asia Times, Dec. 8, 2009) The weekend's local-level elections were worthy of watching in terms of the consequences not only for local politics, but more importantly, on the capability of the ruling Kuomintang party to hold onto its grip on power and on the island's relations with China.

DPP Performance Must Not Be Overestimated: Experts By Jenny W. Hsu (Taipei Times, Dec. 6, 2009) Lin Chi-wen, a professor of political science at National Chengchi University, was reluctant to use yesterday’s outcome as a gauge for the 2012 presidential election because the local elections involved less than half of the country’s population.

Taiwan’s Party Politics