Taiwan’s minor political parties could play a major role in upcoming elections

• Crowded race for the legislature could skew victory chances for independence-leaning DPP and mainland-friendly KMT
• Latest poll shows Tsai Ing-wen on course for a second presidential term, on the back of an anti-Beijing campaign

South China Morning Post
Date: 8 Dec, 2019
By: Lawrence Chung  

While the latest polls suggest incumbent Tsai Ing-wen is on course to win a second term in Taiwan’s presidential elections

 in January, conditions may be less favourable for her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the race for the legislature, according to analysts.

The rise of a number of new political parties and the prospect of more than 1 million young people eligible to vote for the first time could dash hopes of a parliamentary majority for both the DPP and its main rival, the mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), they said.

In a poll released by the TVBS television network on Tuesday, Tsai had 46 per cent of the vote, while KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu, the populist mayor of Kaohsiung who swept to power on an anti-DPP wave in last year’s mayoral elections, had 31 per cent.    [FULL  STORY]