Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, Lai Ching-te Elected President but 'Half a Victory'

Lai Ching-te, elected as the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party president in the Taiwan presidential election held on the 13th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In the Taiwanese presidential and legislative elections held on the 13th, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), known for its 'pro-American and pro-independence' stance, succeeded in retaining power but failed to secure a majority in the legislature, leading to expectations of significant obstacles in future governance.

In the presidential election, DPP candidate Lai Ching-te won with approximately 5.58 million votes (40.05% support), surpassing Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih, who received about 4.67 million votes (33.49%). The Taiwan People's Party candidate Ko Wen-je garnered 26.46% of the vote.

The DPP's support showed a different pattern compared to previous elections. The DPP's presidential vote share had exceeded the majority in both 2016 (56.12%) and 2020 (57.13%) when incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen was elected, but this time it barely surpassed 40%.

The legislative election results held on the same day also reflected a decline compared to the past. In the 2016 legislative election, the DPP secured 68 out of 113 seats (KMT 35 seats, New Power Party 5 seats), and in 2020, it held 61 seats (KMT 38 seats, Taiwan People's Party 5 seats). However, in this year's election, the DPP won only 51 seats, 10 fewer than before, losing the position of the largest party in the legislature to the KMT, which secured 52 seats. The third party, Taiwan People's Party, also increased its presence, winning 8 seats.

The pro-KMT Taiwanese United Daily News editorial on the 14th stated, "Lai Ching-te barely won," and added, "With a president who has low approval ratings and a legislature without a majority, the DPP has fallen into a 'double minority' situation."