English

KMT Likely to Push for City-Based Exchanges With China Based on Precedent Set by Ko

Brian Hioe
International views of 2018 local elections in Taiwan, unsurprisingly, have in many cases skewed towards the assessment that China may have been the ultimate victor in nine-in-one elections. The KMT is very likely to leverage on this fact in the near future, to try and push for a new round of efforts to facilitate exchanges with China by way of the city-based exchange model pioneered by Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je. This would be a means of circumventing the central authority of the Tsai administration...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Politics7 min read

Conservative Forces on the Rise in Taiwan After Progressive Civil Society’s Defeat in 2018 Elections

Brian Hioe
There would seem to be no greater indicator of progressive civil society’s defeats in 2018 local elections more than its losses across the board in terms of the referendums it pushed for. However, the situation seems to set to get bleaker in the near future. Conservative groups have now realized that referendums may be one way for them to force their political agendas through...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Politics5 min read

How Should We Interpret Ko Wen-Je’s Narrow Election Victory?

Brian Hioe
Ko Wen-je barely clinched the Taipei mayorship yesterday night, winning by several thousand votes over KMT candidate Ting Shou-chung. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ko won with 580,820 votes, while Ting lost with 577,566 votes. This puts Ko just over 3,300 votes ahead of Ting, a narrow victory by any means. How should we interpret this narrow win?...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Politics13 min read

Progressive Taiwanese Civil Society Sees Defeat By Way Of National Referendum

Brian Hioe
The results of referendum voting will no doubt come as a great shock to progressive Taiwanese civil society with, quite literally, all of the referendum proposals they championed being voted down. On the other hand, all of the referendums they opposed passed. However, not all of these achieved the necessary 25% of voter participation needed to be legally binding...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Social MovementsYouth Movements10 min read

KMT “Blue Wave” Takes Taiwan, Defeats For Progressive Civil Society On Referendums

Brian Hioe
Election results in 2018 local elections in Taiwan have been a surprise, with the apparent defeat of the DPP across much of Taiwan and a resurgent KMT. Referendum proposals pushed for by progressive civil society were widely defeated, but the NPP won 16 seats across Taiwan. The Taipei mayoral race has still yet to be called but is neck and neck between Ko and Ting...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Politics15 min read

What Will Happen If Progressive Taiwanese Civil Society Is Defeated Through The Referendum?

Brian Hioe
Referendum reform has historically been pushed for by progressive civil society groups in Taiwan, as a means to resolve longstanding issues blocked by the KMT and other conservative forces. Progressive civil society groups were finally victorious in amending the Referendum Act last year, lowering the benchmarks needed to hold a referendum in Taiwan. But what if the results of referendum voting tomorrow indicate that, ironically enough, conservatives have managed to hijack the referendum and to use it against progressive civil society?...
#22EnglishNovember 2018Social MovementsTheory and History11 min read