A rally against the KMT, specifically targeting KMT legislator Wu Sz-huai and other pro-China legislators, was held outside DPP headquarters tonight. The rally, which was attended by several thousand, featured many of the star politicians from the DPP and affiliated pan-Green parties...
Though under-discussed in English-language writing on the 2020 presidential and legislative elections that are set to take place in January next year, the “Democracy Frontline” interparty alliance proves one of the more significant formations where youth participation in electoral politics is concerned. The Democracy Frontline consists of young independent, third party, or DPP candidates that have aligned to tacitly endorse Tsai Ing-wen’s reelection campaign...
A number of political rallies took place in both northern and southern Taiwan today, between both the Pan-Green and Pan-Blue camps. In Taipei, independent legislator Freddy Lim and the young Pan-Green candidates of the "Democracy Frontline" interparty alliance held a rally and concert on Ketagalan Boulevard with Lim's band, the symphonic black metal band Chthonic. President Tsai Ing-wen was among those in attendance, with organizers claiming that over 30,000 attended the concert...
The internal crisis of the NPP continues, with elements of the party leadership seemingly still uncommitted to endorsing Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP in 2020 presidential elections and continuing to flirt with the idea of nominating former chair Huang Kuo-chang as the NPP’s presidential candidate. These primarily seem to be older members of the NPP, suggesting an inability to overcome generational inertia in the NPP. In the meantime, the DPP is increasingly taking steps to run young candidates in 2020 elections and appointing young people to high positions within the party...
Huang Kuo-chang, one of the NPP's two remaining legislators and the party’s former chair, suggested earlier this week that he will not run for reelection as legislator, a move that has led to criticisms with the view that this would lose another legislative seat for the NPP. With it becoming increasingly clear that younger members of the party—who are primarily city councilors and in their 20s and early 30s—will have to take over the party leadership if it is to survive, Taipei city councilor Sabrina Lim announced her plans to run for party chair earlier today...
NPP legislator Hung Tzu-yung held a press conference to announce that she would be withdrawing from the party to run for reelection as an independent this afternoon...
Handy Chiu surprised today by announcing his resignation as chair of the NPP at a press conference held around 1 PM today. The announcement came with little advance warning, taking many by surprise. What does this bode for the future of the NPP?...
Freddy Lim announcing his withdrawal from the New Power Party over the party’s failure to adopt a clear policy regarding whether to cooperate with the DPP in next year’s presidential and legislative elections seems to have been surprisingly successful as a political strategy. Lim was able to successfully force the NPP into at least publicly claiming that it will endorse Tsai Ing-wen for reelection in 2020 elections next year...
The NPP saw two major controversies erupt in the past week, not only regarding a conflict of interest scandal regarding legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal that led to her being stripped of her position as a legislator, but also questions about the political orientation of the party vis-a-vis the DPP going into 2020 elections. Subsequently, with little warning, NPP legislator and party heavyweight Freddy Lim announced earlier today that he would be withdrawing from the NPP and running in Taipei’s Zhongzheng-Wanhua district as an independent...
An unusual split has opened up in the NPP with NPP legislator Hsu Yung-ming suggesting that the party should keep its options open with regards to the idea of running a presidential candidate in 2020 elections...