2016 Taiwan general election

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General elections were held in Taiwan , officially the Republic of China, on Saturday, 16 January 2016 to elect the 14th President and Vice President of the Republic of China, and all 113 members of the ninth Legislative Yuan: [1]

Taiwan state in East Asia

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The island of Taiwan has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital and largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan. With 23.5 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated states, and is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).

President of the Republic of China head of state of the Republic of China

The President of the Republic of China, commonly known as the President of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Since 1996, the President is directly elected by plurality voting to a four-year term, with at most one re-election. The incumbent, Tsai Ing-wen, succeeded Ma Ying-jeou on 20 May 2016 as the first female president in the state's history. Originally established in Nanking in 1912, the government and its president relocated to Taipei in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War.

Vice President of the Republic of China position

The Vice President of the Republic of China, commonly known as the Vice President of Taiwan, is the second-highest executive official of Taiwan. The existing office was created in 1948 under the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China. After the Kuomintang lost mainland China to the Chinese Communists during the Chinese Civil War, the government, along with its presidency, retreated to Taiwan. The Communist Party of China has since established the People's Republic of China on the mainland side. Chen Chien-jen is the current Vice President of the Republic of China.

Contents

Presidential election

The president and vice president election [2] was held in Taiwan on 16 January 2016. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen with her independent running mate Chen Chien-jen won over Eric Chu of the Kuomintang (KMT) and James Soong of the People First Party (PFP). Tsai became the first female president in Taiwan, as well as the Chinese-speaking world. [3]

Democratic Progressive Party political party in Taiwan

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centrist political party in Taiwan. Controlling both the Taiwan Presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majority ruling party and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition.

Tsai Ing-wen President of the Republic of China

Tsai Ing-wen is a Taiwanese politician, legal scholar, and attorney who is currently serving as the President of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since May 20, 2016. The first woman to be elected to the office, Tsai is the seventh president of the Republic of China under the 1947 Constitution and the second president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); part of Taiwan's Pan-Green Coalition. She is also the first president to be of both Hakka and aboriginal descent, the first unmarried president, the first to have never held an elected executive post before presidency and the first to be popularly elected without having previously served as the Mayor of Taipei. She was the Democratic Progressive Party candidate in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Tsai previously served as party chair from 2008 to 2012, and from 2014 to 2018.

Chen Chien-jen Vice President of the Republic of China, Taiwanese epidemiologist and academic

Chen Chien-jenKSG KHS is the Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). He is an epidemiologist by training and was formerly vice president of Academia Sinica, Taiwan's premier research institution. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Fu Jen Catholic University.

A second-time presidential candidate, Tsai secured the DPP's nomination uncontested as early as February 2015, while KMT candidate Hung Hsiu-chu, who won the party's nomination in July 2015, was trailing behind Tsai by double digits. [4] Alarmed by Hung's perceived pro-Beijing stance, the KMT held an extraordinary party congress to nullify Hung's candidacy in a controversial move, and replaced her by the party chairman Eric Chu, less than a hundred days before the general election. [5] However, Chu did not fare much better than Hung in the polls, and it was almost certain that Tsai was going to win weeks before the election. Veteran politician James Soong also announced his presidential campaign for the fourth time, making the election a three-way contest.

Hung Hsiu-chu Taiwanese politician

Hung Hsiu-chu is a Taiwanese politician. As a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), she has served the party as a Deputy Chairperson and Deputy Secretary-General. Hung was first elected to the legislature in 1990, and was the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan from 2012 to 2016, her eighth term. She became the Kuomintang's first elected chairwoman later that year.

Some 12 million voters, 66% of the total registered voters, cast their votes, the lowest turnout since the office was first directly elected in 1996. [6] Tsai won 6.89 million votes, leading Chu who received 3.81 million votes by 3.08 million votes, becoming the second highest winning margin behind first direct presidential election in 1996. [7] She also won with 56.1%, the second-largest vote share claimed by a presidential candidate since Ma Ying-jeou in the 2008 election. It was the second time the DPP won the presidency since Chen Shui-bian won in 2000. The DPP also won the Legislative Yuan election on the same day, which secured a DPP majority in the legislature.

1996 Taiwan presidential election Republic of China presidential election

The 9th President and Vice President election of the Republic of China was the first direct presidential election in the history of the Republic of China. It occurred on 23 March 1996. In the previous eight elections the president and vice president had been chosen in a ballot of the deputies of the National Assembly, in accordance with the 1947 constitution.

Ma Ying-jeou Taiwanese politician, former president of Taiwan

Ma Ying-jeou is a Taiwanese politician who served as President of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. His previous political roles include Justice Minister (1993–96) and Mayor of Taipei (1998–2006). He was also the Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) between 2005–2007 and 2009–2014.

2008 Taiwan presidential election

The 12th President and Vice President election of the Republic of China was held in Taiwan on Saturday, March 22, 2008. Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou won with 58% of the vote, ending eight years of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rule. Along with the 2008 legislative election, Ma's landslide victory brought the Kuomintang back to power in Taiwan.

Legislative election

The Legislative Yuan election was held on 16 January 2016 for all 113 seats to the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led by Tsai Ing-wen, who also won the presidential election on the same day, secured a majority for the first time in history by winning 68 seats. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT), lost both the presidency and the legislature, returned to the opposition.

Legislative Yuan National legislature of Republic of China

The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China now based in Taiwan. It is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People. Sometimes referred to as a "parliament", the Legislative Yuan, under Sun's political theory, is a branch of government. According to the Judicial Yuan's interpretation number 76 of the Constitution (1957), the parliament of the republic includes all three of the National Assembly, the Legislative Yuan, and the Control Yuan. However, after constitutional amendments effectively transferring almost all of the National Assembly's powers to the Legislative Yuan in the late 1990s, it has become more common in Taiwanese newspapers to refer to the Legislative Yuan as “the parliament”.

2016 Taiwan presidential election Election in China

The 14th President and Vice President election of the Republic of China was held in Taiwan on 16 January 2016. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen with her independent running mate Chen Chien-jen won over Eric Chu of the Kuomintang (KMT) and James Soong of the People First Party (PFP). Tsai became the first female president in Taiwan, as well as the Chinese-speaking world.

Kuomintang Political party in the Republic of China

The Kuomintang of China, also spelled as Guomindang and often alternatively translated as the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China based in Taipei that was founded in 1911. The KMT is currently an opposition political party in the Legislative Yuan.

The DPP managed to unseat the KMT in its traditional blue strongholds across Taiwan, turning districts in Taipei, Taichung and Hualien green, while KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin conceding defeat to relatively unknown city councillor Tsai Shih-ying from the DPP, becoming one of its biggest loses in the election. The year-old New Power Party (NPP) founded by young activists which emerged from the 2014 Sunflower Movement also fared well to win five seats by defeating some of the KMT veterans. [8]

The New Power Party is a political party in Taiwan formed in early 2015. The party emerged from the Sunflower Student Movement in 2014, and advocates for universal human rights, civil and political liberties, as well as Taiwan independence/nationalism. The party is a part of the political phenomenon known as the "Third Force" (第三勢力), in which new political parties, unaligned with traditional Pan-Green or Pan-Blue Coalitions, sought to provide an alternative in Taiwanese politics. Nevertheless, the NPP's policies are very much aligned and closely matches the Pan-Green camp; thus the NPP cooperated with the DPP against the KMT in the 2016 elections, going as far as to run in traditional KMT strongholds to avoid competition with the DPP. The party works in tandem with a perceived generational shift towards Taiwan-centrism as the new socio-cultural norm.

Related Research Articles

The pan-Blue coalition, pan-Blue force or pan-Blue groups is a loose political coalition in Taiwan, consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), the People First Party (PFP), New Party (CNP), Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) and Minkuotang (MKT). The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang. This coalition tends to favor a Chinese nationalist identity over a separate Taiwanese one and favors a softer policy and greater economic linkage with the People's Republic of China, as opposed to the Pan-Green Coalition.

James Soong Chairman of People First Party, former Governor of Taiwan Province

James Soong Chu-yu is a Taiwanese politician. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller party in the Kuomintang (KMT)-led Pan-Blue Coalition.

2000 Taiwan presidential election

The 10th President and Vice President election of the Republic of China was held on March 18, 2000, to elect the 10th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China under the 1947 Constitution. With a voter turnout of 82.69%, Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu of the Democratic Progressive Party were elected president and vice president respectively with a slight plurality. This put an end to more than half a century of Kuomintang rule on Taiwan.

Wang Jin-pyng Taiwanese politician

Wang Jin-pyng, is a Taiwanese politician. He served as President of the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2016, which makes him Taiwan's longest-serving legislative speaker. Once a leading figure of the Kuomintang (KMT), Wang is considered to be soft-spoken and a conciliatory figure who has often brokered deals between the KMT and opposition DPP. He was replaced by Democratic Progressive Party's Su Jia-chyuan as President of the Legislative Yuan after a decisive victory for the DPP in the 2016 election.

2004 Taiwan legislative election election

The Election for the 6th Legislative Yuan (第六屆立法委員選舉) of Taiwan was held on December 11, 2004. All 225 seats of the Legislative Yuan were up for election: 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the aboriginal populations. Members served three-year terms beginning on February 1, 2005, and ending January 31, 2008. The next term served four years.

Timeline of Republic of China history

This is a timeline of the Republic of China.

Hau Lung-pin Taiwanese politician

Hau Lung-pin is a Taiwanese politician. Elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995, he resigned his seat to lead the Environmental Protection Administration in 2001. Hau stepped down in 2003 and served as Mayor of Taipei from 2006 to 2014. He is a member of the Kuomintang (KMT) and has served as vice chairman of the party in 2014 and since 2016.

2012 Taiwan presidential election election in the Republic of China

The 13th President and Vice President election of the Republic of China was held on 14 January 2012. The election was held concurrently with legislative elections. It was the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China. Prior to 1996, the President was elected by the ROC's National Assembly and not directly by the people.

Eric Chu Taiwanese politician

Eric Li-luan Chu is a Taiwanese politician and the incumbent Mayor of New Taipei. He was born into a political family with strong Kuomintang (KMT) ties, and served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China, under Premier Wu Den-yih. Prior to this, Chu served as legislator and as the magistrate of Taoyuan County. He was elected as the first mayor of the newly established city of New Taipei on 27 November 2010. On 17 January 2015, he was elected unopposed as Chairman of the Kuomintang, succeeding Ma Ying-jeou. On 17 October 2015, he was chosen as KMT candidate for the 2016 presidential election replacing incumbent candidate Hung Hsiu-chu. Chu was defeated by his opponent Tsai Ing-wen, and subsequently resigned his post as KMT chairman.

2016 Taiwan legislative election legislative election

The 9th Republic of China Legislative Yuan election was held on 16 January 2016 for all 113 seats to the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led by Tsai Ing-wen, who also won the presidential election on the same day, secured a majority for the first time in history by winning 68 seats. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) lost both the presidency and its legislative majority and returned to the opposition.

Apollo Chen Taiwanese politician

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Tuan Yi-kang Taiwanese politician

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Yen Kuan-heng Taiwanese politician

Yen Kuan-heng is a Taiwanese politician who has represented Taichung in the Legislative Yuan since 2013, when he succeeded his father Yen Ching-piao in office.

Chen Hsueh-sheng Taiwanese politician

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Rao Ching-ling Taiwanese politician

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2020 Taiwan presidential election Future election

The 15th President and Vice President election of Republic of China is scheduled to be held in Taiwan on 11 January 2020. Voters will either elect a new President and Vice President or re-elect the incumbents. The process of presidential primary elections and nominations are likely to be held during the last six months of 2019.

References

  1. ↑ "Presidential, legislative elections set for Jan. 16, 2016". focustaiwan.tw. The Central News Agency. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "14th Presidential and Vice Presidential Election". Central Election Commission.
  3. ↑ "Tsai Faces Three Major Challenges". CommonWealth Magazine. 2016-01-22.
  4. ↑ Tiezzi, Shannon (October 8, 2015). "Taiwan's KMT Moves to Replace Its Presidential Candidate". The Diplomat.
  5. ↑ "Dumped and replaced: Eric Chu to lead ticket after Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party kicks out unpopular Hung Hsiu-chu". South China Morning Post. 17 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Tai, Ya-chen; Chen, Chun-hua; Huang, Frances (17 January 2016). "Turnout in presidential race lowest in history". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "ELECTIONS: Chu concedes, resigns as KMT chair". Taipei Times. 2016-01-17.
  8. ↑ "Historic change as KMT loses long-held Parliament majority". The Straits Times. 2016-01-17.
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