Taiwan Elects Incumbent Democratic Progressive Party to Third Consecutive Presidential Term

On Saturday, Taiwanese voters elected the country’s incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a third consecutive presidential term.

The Details: Candidate, Lai Ching-te, will replace current President Tsai Ing-wen, who has reached the two-term limit. The DPP, which has been intensely criticized by the Chinese Communist Party, supports Taiwanese sovereignty and a national identity that is separate from China. 

Parliamentary Loss: The DPP, however, lost its legislative majority as its rival Kuomintang (KMT), which the DPP has portrayed as being pro-Beijing, added 14 seats to its existing 38 for 52 total. The DPP now holds 51 seats, and the minority Taiwanese People’s Party (TPP), which said it will support “whoever speaks reasonably,” holds 8.

For Context: The election results come as tensions between China and the U.S. over Taiwan’s independence continue to escalate.

Key Quotes: Shortly after the vote, China said, “Taiwan is part of China.” Lai called his election win a “victory for the community of democracies.”

How The Media Covered It: CNN (Lean Left bias) and The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) both described Taiwan’s democracy as "vibrant" and noted that less than 3% of Taiwan’s population identify as only Chinese. The Telegraph included a short profile of KMT supporters, which it associated with being skeptical of the “Covid vaccine and media bias.” It said most KMT supporters it talked to feared the DPP could lead them into a war with China. Reuters (Center bias) attributed the DPP’s parliamentary skid to “public frustration at domestic issues like the high cost of housing and stagnating wages after eight years in power.”