Taiwan presidential election – Local media: Candidate from Taiwan’s ruling party leads – News

  • In the shadow of tensions with China, Taiwan has elected a new president and a new parliament.
  • According to initial surveys by local television stations, the candidate from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took the lead in the counting after the presidential election.
  • The previous vice president, William Lai, was ahead of the candidate from the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), Hou Yu-ih, and the candidate from the populist Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), Ko Wen-je.
  • An official election result is expected late Saturday evening local time (Saturday afternoon in Europe).

The TV channels saw the 64-year-old Lai at around 41 percent in the early evening (local time). His opponent Hou was behind with about 33 percent.

Legend:

In the shadow of tensions with China, Taiwan elected a new president and parliament on Saturday.

Keystone/AP Photo/Louise Delmotte

At the same time, the 19.5 million voters who were called decided on the new parliament, the Legislative Yuan, in which the DPP had previously had an absolute majority. An official election result is expected late Saturday evening local time.

Man looks into camera

Legend:

Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai.

Keystone/EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

If the Progressive Party wins, it would be its third consecutive presidential election victory. The current President Tsai Ing-wen is not allowed to run again after two terms in office.

Printing from China

If the DPP becomes president again, China’s communist leadership is likely to continue the pressure on Taiwan. Beijing counts the island republic as part of China, although Taiwan has had an independent and democratically elected government for decades. Beijing, which views the pro-Taiwan independence DPP as separatist, had frozen contact with Taipei since President Tsai took office in 2016.

In the strait between China and Taiwan, which is important for global shipping, where the Chinese military sends fighter jets towards the island republic almost every day as a show of force, tensions could therefore continue or even increase. China wants a “reunification” of the island with the mainland, if necessary with military force.

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