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Taiwan election 2024
ChinaPolitics

Can Ko Wen-je’s TPP bring meaningful change to Taiwan’s politics?

  • Days ahead of the next session, the party’s eight new legislative seats will play key roles in critical government decisions
  • But despite recent election success, the Taiwan People’s Party must rise above vague messaging, analysts say

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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With its recent legislative election wins, the Taiwan People’s Party now has leverage in what will be a divisive legislative session, as key decisions on issues like defence spending and weapons purchases loom. Photo: AP
Jordyn Haime

When Ko Wen-je announced during an election night rally on January 13 that he would concede defeat in Taiwan’s presidential race, there were many tears in the crowd.

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Ko, the dark horse third candidate in the contest to lead the self-governed island, had failed to break through Taiwan’s blue-green political establishment.

For John Weng, a teacher and campaign volunteer with Ko’s Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), the loss was hard to swallow.
“I was very, very disappointed. Because the DPP will be in charge, there is a greater chance that Taiwan will go to war,” Weng, 26, said, referring to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Despite the loss, he said he remained optimistic about the TPP’s future and Ko’s chances for another presidential run in 2028. After winning a total of eight seats in the Legislative Yuan, neither the DPP nor the Kuomintang (KMT) secured a majority, giving the TPP the balance of power – and a new sense of purpose.

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Opposition party in spotlight after Taiwan vote

Opposition party in spotlight after Taiwan vote

Those eight election wins gave the TPP leverage in what will be a divisive legislative session. Key decisions on issues like defence spending, weapons purchases, and other policies that will steer relations with Beijing will require both the DPP and KMT to fight for TPP votes.

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