The President draws personal consequences from an election defeat.
(Photo: Reuters)
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DFP). The reason for the withdrawal is the defeat of the DFP in the local elections in Taiwan on Saturday.
The opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) won the most constituencies with 13 out of 21 regions – including the capital Taipei. The KMT had accused Tsai and her party of excessive confrontation with the government in Beijing.
“The results did not meet our expectations,” Tsai admitted on Saturday. She is giving up the chair of the DFP, but wants to fulfill her term of office as President, which runs until 2024. She resigned as party president after the 2018 local elections, but returned to the top of her party in 2020.
Beijing welcomes the outcome of the election
In the current election campaign, Tsai focused on security policy and the threat posed by China. A strategy that apparently did not go down well with voters. China’s President Xi Jinping sees Taiwan as a breakaway part of China and wants to reincorporate the island into the People’s Republic.
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The government in Beijing is using diplomatic or economic means against all states that maintain relations with Taiwan. Following US politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August, Beijing imposed economic sanctions and launched military maneuvers.
>> Read here: Taiwan resists China’s threats: ‘We will never give up our sovereignty and democracy’
The Chinese government sees the outcome of the election as proof that the vast majority of the people in Taiwan want peace, stability and prosperity. It will continue to work on peaceful relations with the people on the island and firmly reject Taiwan independence or foreign interference, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The KMT, which won the local elections, is said to be more open to China than the current ruling party, the DFP.
It is still unclear to what extent Tsai’s resignation as party leader will affect Taiwan’s China policy. Both parties have not yet chosen their candidates for the January 2024 presidential election. Tsai will not stand again after two terms under the rules of Taiwan’s constitution.
With agency material
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