Lai Ching-ti, winner of the presidency of Taiwan – AFP
Taiwan
China called him a “grave danger”… Lai Ching-ti is famous for his positions in support of Taiwanese independence
Al Arabiya.net, agencies
Published on: 13 January 2024: 16:06 GST Last updated: 13 January 2024: 17:34 GST
Lai Ching-ti, the ruling party’s candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election, won elections held Saturday, which China described as a choice between war and peace. Lai Ching-te announced his victory at a rally in front of his supporters and pledged to defend his country from “intimidation” from China.
He thanked the opposition for the congratulations and said: “I will carefully study the programs and positions of my opponents in the elections, as long as they benefit the people and national development, and will be included in my political program.”
With this result, the Democratic Progressive Party, which supports Taiwan’s independent identity and rejects China’s claims of sovereignty over it, will assume power for a third consecutive term, unprecedented in Taiwan’s electoral system.
Lai Ching-ti, who China says poses a “grave danger” due to his pro-Taiwan independence stance, has topped the presidential election results and is expected to take office on May 20, 2024.
Lai Ching-ti, the outgoing vice president of the Democratic Progressive Party, won 40.2% of the vote, according to results that include 98% of polling stations. His main rival, Yu-Ae, the candidate of the nationalist Kuomintang party, which calls for rapprochement with Beijing, obtained 33.2% of the votes.
Taiwanese citizens line up in front of election committees to cast their votes – Reuters
Taiwanese voters went to the polls this morning to elect a new president and parliament, in elections with major geopolitical implications attracting global attention, with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party pursuing a policy of independence from China , which will probably win, amidst Tensions are growing between the autonomous island and Beijing, which is considered a Chinese province and threatens to annex it.
Polling stations opened their doors this morning in Taiwan, which has a population of 24 million.
Around 19.5 million people are entitled to vote in the ongoing elections. In 2020, 75% of voters participated in Taiwan’s presidential election, according to a Friday, Jan. 12 report by British newspaper The Guardian.
The winner of the elections will succeed the current president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen (67 years old), who is not entitled to a third consecutive term according to the country’s constitution, but her deputy, Lai Ching-te, is running for president as a continuation of his presidency. Both Tsai and Lai belong to the Democratic Progressive Party, a party Beijing detests, and they (Tsai and Lai) are considered separatists.
Candidate Lai Ching-te is considered the candidate most likely to win the presidential election.
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Chinese fears
Beijing fears the outcome of the elections in Taiwan in which the independence movement will win. Beijing is trying to influence Taiwan’s election results by launching high-altitude spy balloons over the island, funding pro-Beijing Taiwanese social media influencers and hosting local officials on luxury trips to China. These are some of the tactics Beijing is accused of using to influence Taiwan’s presidential election today.
Beijing warned on Thursday that Lai Ching-ti, the most likely candidate to win Taiwan’s presidential election two days later, poses a “serious threat” to relations between the island and China, the Chinese official said. . Xinhua news agency. “I hope our compatriots in Taiwan will realize the serious danger posed by Lai’s incitement of cross-strait conflicts (in Taiwan) and make the right choice,” said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, according to Xinhua.
Current Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen with candidate Lai Ching-te during an election rally in Taipei – AFP
Presidential candidates in Taiwan
Taiwanese voters chose their president from three candidates, after a fourth potential contender, billionaire Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, Apple’s main supplier, withdrew hours before the deadline to officially register as a candidate.
Lai Qing-te is the most likely candidate – Reuters
The three candidates for the presidency of Taiwan are: Lai Ching-te (64 years old) for the Democratic Progressive Party, who is the current vice president of Taiwan, and his party is known for its openly pro-independence tendencies from China.
Taiwanese presidential candidate from the opposition Kuomintang party, Hou Yu-A (center), during an election rally – AFP
The second candidate is Hu Yu-A (66 years old) of the Kuomintang party. A former police officer and current mayor of Taipei is calling for closer relations with mainland China.
Candidate Ho Ko Win-ji (Reuters)
The third candidate is Kuo Wen-ji (64) of the Taiwan People’s Party. The former mayor of Taipei says she will follow current President Tsai’s foreign policy, but also calls for talks with Beijing.
The main parties nominated and their performance
The three main Taiwanese parties competing in the elections are the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Kuomintang Party (KMT), and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), founded only in 2019.
The Democratic Progressive Party currently enjoys a majority in Parliament with 63 seats. The Kuomintang Party has 38 seats, while the Trans-Pacific Partnership Party has five.
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The total number of seats in Parliament is 113.
The Democratic Progressive Party supports Taiwan’s separate identity from China and rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide their own future.
The Kuomintang – the Chinese nationalist party that has ruled Taiwan for nearly 40 years with an iron fist since 1949 after losing a civil war on the Chinese mainland – prefers to establish close ties with China, but firmly denies supporting Beijing. The KMT holds the position that Taiwan and China belong to one China, but each side can interpret what that means, a position Beijing has welcomed. The Trans-Pacific Partnership party also wants close relations with China.
The opposition in Taiwan is made up of the Kuomintang Party and the Taiwan People’s Party, a centrist party founded in 2019. The opposition has failed to unite its forces to run for election against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after its leaders argued on live television and ended up registering separate presidential nominations.
