Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Taiwan president quits as party head after China threat bet fails to win votes

Published 11/25/2022, 07:03 PM
Updated 11/26/2022, 04:08 PM
© Reuters. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends a campaign rally of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the local elections, in Taipei, Taiwan November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

© Reuters. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends a campaign rally of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the local elections, in Taipei, Taiwan November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

By Sarah Wu and Yimou Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday after her strategy to frame local elections as showing defiance to China's rising bellicosity failed to pay off and win public support.

The elections for mayors, county chiefs and local councillors are ostensibly about domestic issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and crime, and those elected will not have a direct say on China policy.

But Tsai had recast the election as being more than a local vote, saying the world is watching how Taiwan defends its democracy amid military tensions with China, which claims the island as its territory.

The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, was leading or claimed victory in 13 of the 21 city mayor and county chief seats up for grabs, including the capital Taipei, compared to the DPP's five, broadly in line with expectations and similar to the results of the last local elections in 2018.

"The results failed our expectations. We humbly accept the results and accept the Taiwanese people's decision," Tsai told reporters at party headquarters as she quit as party head, which she also did after 2018's poor results.

"It's not like the DPP has never failed before," Tsai, who will continue serving as president until 2024, added. "We don't have time to feel sorry. We fell, but we will stand up again."

Tsai said she had rejected a resignation offer from Premier Su Tseng-chang, also a senior DPP member, adding she had asked him to stay in office to ensure her policies would be properly implemented.

The Cabinet said Su had agreed to stay due to the need for stability amid the "arduous" domestic and international situation.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the result showed that mainstream Taiwanese public opinion was for peace, stability and "a good life", and that Beijing would keep working with Taiwan's people to promote peaceful relations and to oppose Taiwan independence and foreign interference.

'RED' ACCUSATIONS

Both the DPP and KMT, which traditionally favours close ties with China though strongly denies being pro-Beijing, had concentrated their campaign efforts in wealthy and populous northern Taiwan, especially Taipei, whose mayor from the small Taiwan People's Party could not run again due to term limits.

The KMT has accused Tsai and the DPP of being overly confrontational with China, and of trying to besmirch the party for being "red" - a reference to the colours of the Chinese Communist Party.

It focused its campaign on criticising the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially after a surge in cases this year.

KMT Chairman Eric Chu celebrated their victory, but said they would also protect Taiwan's freedoms.

"We will insist on defending the Republic of China and protecting democracy and freedom," he told reporters, using Taiwan's official name. "We will also work hard to keep regional peace."

China carried out war games near Taiwan in August to express anger at a visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and its military activities have continued, though on a reduced scale.

The election took place a month after the 20th congress of China's Communist Party, where President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term in office - a point Tsai repeatedly made on the campaign trail.

© Reuters. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announces to resign as Democratic Progressive Party chair to take responsibility for the party's performance in the local elections in Taipei, Taiwan, November 26, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Focus will now turn to the 2024 presidential and parliament election, which Tsai and the DPP won by a landslide in 2020 on a pledge to stand up to China and defend Taiwan's freedoms.

Tsai is serving her second term in office and cannot stand again as president because of term limits.

Latest comments

I am Taiwanese. This article is totally bullsxxt. The election result is not about people's tendency to China. We are just sick of that DPP always ignore domestic issues, corrupt gradually in this six years and all they keep doing is attacking political enemies and trying to play China card whenever they got questioned. We want to defend Taiwan against China, but not in this way with corrupted and arrogant party just like another China party. Plus, it's mayor election, not the president. Maybe two years later there would be another party that is not KMT and DPP being elected. We'll see.
Don't worry too much, we in the west understand.
Same Taiwanese here. We vote for other parties for the domestic reasons, not for the tendency to China.
All in ftt now waiting for pay off easy
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.