Politics

ELECTIONS: Ecstatic crowd welcomes president-elect Tsai

‘WIPE YOUR TEARS AWAY’:Tsai vowed to honor her words to maintain stability in cross-strait ties, while saying the hard work of reforming the nation begins on Feb. 1, when the new legislature opens

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 17, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

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Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen waves to her supporters after her election victory at party headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Damir Sagolj, Reuters

Shouting, cheering, waving flags, blowing horns and shooting fireworks, tens of thousands of people were ecstatic when president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and her running mate Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) took to the stage in front of her national campaign headquarters to address the crowd after her victory was confirmed yesterday.

“I’ve said that I would sacrifice my life to make you happy and now I’ve kept my promise,” Tsai told the crowd with her campaign team leaders, local government heads and other DPP heavyweights standing behind her.

“If you still have tears in your eyes, please wipe them. Let’s welcome a new age of Taiwan with joy,” she said.

Thanking the crowd for their support of her and the party, Tsai said that while they can celebrate, they should not forget the responsibilities they bear.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Election: US congratulates Tsai

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-16
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The United States Department of State 6729316congratulated Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen Saturday on being elected Taiwan’s first woman president.

“The United States congratulates Dr. Tsai Ing-wen on her victory in Taiwan’s presidential election. We also congratulate the people on Taiwan for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system, which will now undergo another peaceful transition of power,” said an online statement by spokesman John Kirby.

As usual, the US statement also paid attention to relations with China. “We share with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability. We look forward to working with Dr. Tsai and Taiwan’s leaders of all parties to advance our many common interests and further strengthen the unofficial relationship between the United States and the people on Taiwan.”

The State Department also had words for President Ma Ying-jeou, who leaves office on May 20.     [FULL  STORY]

China urged to respect Taiwan’s general election results

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/17
By: Yin Chun-chieh, Scarlett Chai and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC,大陸委員會) 201601170008t0001has called on China to respect the results of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections that concluded Saturday.

The election demonstrates the mature development of Taiwan’s democratic development, the MAC said in a press release Saturday, adding that all sectors in Taiwan and China should respect the choices of Taiwanese voters and its democratic system and continue to promote the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations.

Cross-strait peace and prosperity conforms to the interest of Taiwan and China and “both sides have the responsibility” to maintain the status quo, the MAC said in a press release.

Over the past eight years, the government’s promotion of good interactions between the two sides across the strait has contributed greatly to Taiwan’s development on many fronts and gained international recognition, it said.     [FULL  STORY]

ELECTIONS: DPP secures absolute majority in Legislative Yuan

AT-LARGE:The New Power Party was a surprise winner in the party vote, joining the DPP, KMT and PFP as the only parties to surpass the 5-percentage-point threshold

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 17, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday won an absolute

Graphic: Constance Chou and June Hsu, Taipei Times

Graphic: Constance Chou and June Hsu, Taipei Times

majority in the 113-seat legislature for the first time, with 60 percent of its regional legislative candidates winning in their respective electoral districts and securing more than 44 percent of the vote.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has lost the 64-seat majority it won in 2012, retaining 35 seats in the legislature.

The newly formed New Power Party (NPP) had spectacular success, winning all three districts where it fielded regional legislative candidates and crossing the 5-percentage-point threshold to be awarded legislator-at-large seats.

The most attention-grabbing legislators-elect are the NPP’s Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) and Freddy Lim (林昶佐), as well as the DPP’s Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Hualien County, who had all been predicted to have tough battles in traditional KMT strongholds.     [FULL  STORY]

DPP wins all legislative districts in southern and eastern Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

According to Central Election Commission’s statistics, opposition 30220175Democratic Progressive Party has won in all legislative electoral districts in souther and eastern Taiwan, beating ruling KMT’s in every district.

The DPP has a complete victory over the KMT in Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County in southern Taiwan and in Yilan County, Hualian County and Taitung County in eastern Taiwan. Hualien and Taitung have traditionally been KMT’s strongholds.

Earlier Eric Chu, the presidential candidate and chairman of the ruling Kuomintang, conceded defeat in Saturday’s election, saying that the party has lost the presidential and legislative elections, which is “an unprecedented big change” for the party. Chu also announced to resign as KMT chairman.     [FULL  STORY]

DPP’s Tsai Ing-wen declares victory in presidential race

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/16
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential 30220175candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday declared victory in Taiwan’s presidential election, before the final ballot count was announced.

As of 8:50 p.m., Tsai had 6.74 million votes or 56.2 percent against 3.71 million or 30.9 percent for her main rival, Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the ruling Kuomintang, according to local media.      [FULL  STORY]

KMT’s Eric Chu concedes defeat

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/16
By: Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Eric Chu (朱立倫), presidential candidate of the ruling 201601160021t0001Kuomintang (KMT), conceded defeat in Saturday’s presidential election and announced his resignation as KMT chairman.

Chu offered his congratulations to his main rival, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party, for winning the election.

Tsai wins in symbolic constituency

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/16
By: Justin Su and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate

Another polling station in Taipei.

Another polling station in Taipei.

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) emerged Saturday as the winner in Jiande village in New Taipei’s Yingge District, a constituency seen as predicting the outcome of the election.

Tsai won 191 votes there, outnumbering the Kuomintang’s Eric Chu (朱立倫), who gained 100 votes, and People First Party candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜), who garnered just 59 votes. There were four invalid votes.

There are 481 eligible voters in the village, with the turnout rate standing at 73.59 percent.

By vote share, Tsai swept 54.6 percent of the votes, Chu 28.6 percent and Soong 16.9 percent.     [FULL  STORY]

Ma drums up support for Chu

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At the Kuomintang’s final campaign rally Friday 6728908evening, President Ma Ying-jeou asked supporters to vote for presidential candidate Eric Liluan Chu in the January 16 elections.

Campaigning for Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections should not go beyond 10 p.m. according to official regulations. All three major candidates have scheduled large-scale final events, with Chu staging his in Banqiao, the district where he usually goes to work as mayor of New Taipei City.

Chu himself spent Friday traveling in a motorcade with his wife through the streets of Taipei City before venturing down to Taichung in Central Taiwan, a key battle area between the Democratic Progressive Party-oriented South and the usually pro-KMT North.     [FULL  STORY]

ELECTIONS: Reconciliation a must for social harmony, Ko says

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 16, 2016
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

One of the most urgent tasks the nation must attend to after today’s elections is the promotion of “political reconciliation” to bring about social harmony, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.

Ko made the remark in response to media queries about how he plans to prioritize between two of his feuding allies, Sunflower Movement activist Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Hsinchu legislative candidate Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), for whom Ko had supported for several months.

The Chinese-language China Times on Thursday reported that Ker vented his anger over Lin campaigning for his rival, New Power Party Hsinchu legislative candidate Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), who had criticized Ker as being “only good at dealmaking.”

Ker cited the help DPP offered Lin and Sunflower movement activists during their occupation of the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber and his role as a mediator that helped resolve the standoff between the protestors and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration by subjecting the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement to a review.     [FULL  STORY]