Taiwan Elects China-Critical William Lai as New President

Taipei The China-critical William Lai won the elections in Taiwan. However, the future president does not have a majority in parliament.

On Saturday evening (local time), the television channels and websites in Taiwan repeatedly show one image: William Lai stands there in a green jacket, smiles, raises his fist in the air. Even though he appeared on Saturday in a suit and tie, the 64-year-old styled himself as a baseball fan during the election campaign, and thus as man of the people.

Baseball is the most popular sport in Taiwan. And on election day, his “Team Taiwan,” as he called his offer to voters, hit a home run. Lai becomes Taiwan’s new president.

William Lai won the election in Taiwan.

Photo: Ng Han Guan / DPA Images

William Lai will continue to demarcate Taiwan from China

In the race, which recently decided between three candidates, Lai from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was comfortably ahead in the end. Lai, the previous vice president behind the one who is leaving after eight years President Tsai Ing-wen, will continue the foreign policy of his predecessor. This means: A clear demarcation from mainland China, which sees Taiwan as part of its own territory and has repeatedly threatened to bring Taiwan under its control by force if necessary. Like Tsai before him, Lai will also seek proximity to the West.

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The candidate favored in Beijing, Hou Yu-ih of the National People’s Party (KMT), which supported Taiwan’s military dictatorship until the mid-1980s, suffered one heavy defeat. Hou had conducted his election campaign with the thesis that this election was between war and peace: whoever voted for the DPP would choose war because their policy of distancing themselves from China would risk an invasion by Beijing. The KMT has maintained better ties with Beijing for decades. The winner, Lai, in turn, spoke of a choice between democracy and authoritarianism.

Lai lacks a majority in parliament

The third candidate, Ko Wen-je, mayor of the capital Taipei until 2022, tried to draw attention to economic policy issues, which meant he came a distant third. However, Kos has Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) at the General electionwhich also took place on Saturday, one Majority of the votes won, as did the KMT. The future President Lai will therefore face a parliament in which he lacks the majority of his own party. He will therefore have to negotiate with the coalition on various issues. And there are quite a few of them.

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Because even though a large part of the election campaign revolved around foreign policy: The China question is by no means the only issue that concerns people in Taiwan. There is, for example, the rather low wage level, which has only increased slightly over the past few years despite solid economic growth. In a survey in mid-2023, three-quarters of people said their wages had not increased in the past year. The labor market is largely precarious and the influence of trade unions is low. Many of those who find jobs elsewhere have been leaving the country for years. Especially since the cost of living and real estate prices have been rising in Taiwan’s cities for years.

Taiwan: Education is extremely expensive

Hardly any country has that Training of children as expensive as in Taiwan. Official statistics from 2018 show that families with the then average income of 50,000 Taiwan dollars per month (equivalent to around 1,450 euros) invested a quarter of that in their children’s education. One reason why the private expenses are so high is the sparse welfare state. Added to this is the traditionally great importance of an entry test for the best universities. A lot is learned about this – in the school itself, but also in tutoring, for which parents pay additionally.

People in Taiwan are watching the progress on a big screen.

Foto: Annabelle Chih / Getty Images

The DPP, which has now at least won the presidency, wants to change this. “We know that the cost of education is a big challenge,” said Alysa Wen-li Chiu, who works in the political science department of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. “We want more Welfare state. Above all, our goal is to provide students with better financial support, for example through more scholarships.” Because what is also known: Taiwan’s very low birth rate is also linked to the high costs of having children.

Taiwan: Same-sex marriage is a major point of contention

The possibility has also been available in Taiwan for a long time same-sex marriages discussed. After the Constitutional Court ruled in 2017 that a ban on gay marriage constituted a form of discrimination, Parliament was called upon to resolve the issue. The DPP-led government then legalized same-sex marriage – the first country in Asia to do so. However, especially because of conservative resistance, this was only regulated in the form of a normal law, not through a constitutional amendment. So the topic remains a point of contention.

While conservative forces want to get rid of the law, the majority of young people in Taiwan are in favor of it. However, they often have their own problem: according to the current legal situation, they are only allowed to vote after they have reached the age of 20. “We think this is discrimination,” says Alvin Chang. The 26-year-old is director of the Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy and his organization is calling for one Lowering the voting age. “We haven’t managed that yet for the current election. But at least people are talking about it more now.”

For the next election, in four years, Chang wants to make it possible for 18-year-olds to vote.

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2024-01-13 14:06:12
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