Taiwan’s independence-leaning opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen won a convincing victory in presidential elections on Saturday, becoming the first woman to hold the country’s top office.
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With more than half the votes counted so far, Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was ahead with 58.1 percent, according to live counts by local news networks, while Chu, the presidential candidate from the ruling China-friendly KMT was trailing at 32.5 percent.
“We failed”, Chu told a thin crowd of supporters at their headquarters. The incumbent Kuomintang suffered heavily at the polls, retaining only 35 of the 64 seats they won at the 2012 elections.
The KMT is at risk of losing its majority in the legislature for the first time in history. “This is an unprecedented drastic change for the KMT”, he said.
Ms Tsai has walked a careful path on her China strategy, saying she wants to maintain the “status quo” with Beijing.
“We will continue to adhere to the 1992 Consensus and resolutely oppose any form of secessionist activities seeking “Taiwan independence”, the statement said.
Vendors were selling everything from cups to key chains bearing Tsai’s image.
Taiwan is officially known as Republic of China.
In her victory speech, Tsai urged both sides (China and Taiwan) to show “dignity and reciprocity”, and she vowed to be a force for peace and stability in the region, reported the BBC.
China regards the island of 23 million as part of its territory despite the fact that China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the West Pacific Ocean.
He burnished his legacy to some extent last November, when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore. However, the economic benefits of deeper integration with China did not materialize for most ordinary citizens, and many voters, especially younger ones, have grown resistant to the idea that China is trying to exert too much control over Taiwan. Low salaries and high housing prices are also riling voters.
China called Chen, who led Taiwan from 2000-2008, a troublemaker and a saboteur of cross-strait ties, even as he tried to maintain stable relations with Beijing.
The DPP has never recognised the consensus. Ms Tsai said a transitional team will be set up to communicate with Mr Ma’s outgoing government. She succeeded Wu Rong-I as Vice Premier of Taiwan.
The two major points emphasized by both sides of the Taiwan Strait have served as the foundation for cross-strait interactions for the past eight years and have led to peaceful development and cross-strait stability.
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An unlikely political firestorm came on the eve of Saturday’s election, sparked by a YouTube video from 16-year-old Taiwanese pop singer, Chou Tzuyu, of South Korean girl band Twice.
