Taiwan’s opposition parties are struggling to unite
An interview with the island-democracy’s political wild card, Ko Wen-je
Taiwan is a young democracy. It has had direct presidential elections only since 1996. Each time the race has come down to two main parties: the Nationalist Party, or KMT, which wants reunification with China, and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Ahead of the election due in January, a third force has emerged. Ko Wen-je, a former mayor of Taipei and founder of the new Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), is polling at 20-25%, on a par with the KMT’s candidate, Hou Yu-ih. This has introduced complexity to the election and huge uncertainty about the island-state’s future approach to China.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Can the opposition unite?”
From the October 28th 2023 edition
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