The Hindu : International : Pro-unification party wins Taiwan election

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 12, 2004

International

International

Pro-unification party wins Taiwan election

By P. S. Suryanarayana

The Nationalist Party leader of Taiwan, Lien Chan, flanked by his wife Fang-yu, and leader in the legislature, Wang Jin-pyng, delivers a speech after winning a majority in the Parliamentary election, in Taipei on Saturday. — AP

SINGAPORE, DEC. 11. The Taiwanese President, Chen Shui-bian, tonight suffered a major setback in the general election to the Legislative Yuan, or Parliament, with the alliance headed by him losing decisively to an Opposition coalition led by Kuomintang [the Nationalist Party], which favours re-unification with mainland China.

`Easing of tensions'

With the Opposition retaining control of the legislature, the poll outcome was seen by regional diplomats and observers as a window of opportunity for a possible easing of tensions between the non-sovereign Taiwan and China, especially if the Taiwanese Opposition could use its new parliamentary majority to checkmate Mr. Chen in his tracks towards `independence.'

Independent reports from Taipei indicated that Taiwan's Central Election Commission had given the Opposition Kuomintang (the Nationalist Party) and its allies a total tally of 114 seats in the 225-member Legislative Yuan. Mr. Chen's Democratic Progressive Party and its ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, secured 101 seats, with the remainder 10 going to independents.

The main campaign themes were Mr. Chen's agenda of a new constitution, incremental steps towards `independence' such as an alteration of the name of the territory and a vigorous shopping for more sophisticated American weapons.

Mr. Chen, who won re-election in the presidential poll last March, has had to contend with the lack of parliamentary majority throughout his first term in office as well.

However, his alliance's failure in today's parliamentary poll is widely seen as a vote against his "politics of confrontation" with China.

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