In Taiwan’s 2024 general election, Democratic Progressive Party president-elect Lai Ching-te retained the party’s power, but did not receive more than half of the votes. Additionally, the three parties in the ruling and opposition parties did not win more than half of the seats in the Legislative Yuan. The future of Lai Ching-te’s “double minority” government forming a “grand democratic alliance” with opposition parties is dependent on the smoothness of future policy advancement. With the Legislative Yuan set to be re-elected on February 1, the formation of a “blue and white coalition” or a “green and white coalition” among the ruling and opposition parties remains to be seen.
The results of Taiwan’s high-profile presidential and legislative elections in 2024 have been settled, with President-elect Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party breaking the eight-year curse of Taiwan’s political party rotation. However, receiving only 40% of the votes, Lai Ching-te’s presidency is labeled as a “minority president.” The opposition Kuomintang jumped to the first place in the number of legislative seats, and the People’s Party broke out from the fight between the two major political parties. As a result, none of the three parties holds more than half of the seats in the Legislative Yuan, putting Lai Ching-te’s “double minority” government at risk.
With a total of 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan, the Democratic Progressive Party’s seats dropped from 61 in 2020 to 51 in 2024. Conversely, the Kuomintang’s seats increased from 38 to 52, and the People’s Party increased from five to eight. Hong Qichang, former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, noted that this election has established Taiwan’s political ecology as “two major ones and one middle school.” While the DPP won the election formally, public opinion has not wholeheartedly supported their rule in the past eight years, posing a significant challenge. The Kuomintang also won the election in form, but the People’s Party won the election in essence due to its support from young voters.
The future of Taiwan’s political landscape remains uncertain as the drama of the legislative Yuan’s alliance continues to unfold. For the full article, please subscribe or log in to continue reading.