Posted on 01/13/2024 4:50:02 AM PST by FarCenter
Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), secured a historic third term on Saturday as Vice President Lai Ching-te won the country’s widely watched presidential election with more than 40 percent of the vote.
Lai, along with his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim – Taiwan’s former representative to the United States – won a total of more than 5 million votes.
Taiwan’s electoral system is based on first-past-the-post voting, awarding the victory to the presidential-VP pairing with the highest percentage of votes.
Turnout was put at more than 60 percent with some 19.5 million Taiwanese eligible to vote.
A favourite to succeed incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, who is due to step down at the end of her second consecutive term in May, Lai’s win was in line with previous forecasts.
In an election framed as a choice between “peace and war” by China, which deems the DPP’s governance as “incompatible” with cross-strait peace, Lai’s victory comes at a crucial moment amid rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
Claiming the island as part of its territory, China has doubled down on the rhetoric that the country’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable ahead of the election.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
LIVE: DPP’s William Lai to become next president
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2024/01/13/2003812054
Here comes that nuclear war I was hoping for.
Lai Ching-te wins 3rd straight Taiwan presidential poll for ruling DPP
TAIPEI — Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won Saturday’s presidential election after a tight three-way race, giving the China-skeptic party an unprecedented third consecutive term in office since democratic polls for the presidency were introduced in 1996.
Lai is likely to continue the policies of incumbent Tsai Ing-wen and seek to maintain the status quo with China over the next four years after he takes office in May.
His victory comes despite what his ruling DPP called China’s most heavy handed attempt to meddle in the election through means such as a disinformation campaign and an overt military threat. Communist China has never ruled Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million people, but sees it as its territory and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
Lai declared victory at party headquarters in Taipei. With ballots counted from 99% of polling stations, Lai had 40.14% of the vote, according to Taiwan’s Central Election Commission. Hou Yu-ih from the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) got 33.44% and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je took 26.43%.
The race was much closer than the previous presidential election, when Tsai crushed KMT rival Han Kuo-yu with 57% of the vote. Founded in 1986, the DPP has now won five out of eight direct presidential elections.
The DPP, however, lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan. This will make it more difficult for Lai to pass legislation over the next four years.
China is ticked off?
Good ... guess Taiwan still wants to keep its independence, just like Ukraine and Israel
3 small countries, all threatened by bigger monsters trying to destroy them ...
Does Vice President Lai Ching-te take chicom bribes?
PTL!!
The third party splitter party was unsuccessful.
The tremendous influx of mainland economic refugees telling of the terrible turmoil at home prevailed over the CCP attempts to pay off some voters
Russia, Middle East, and now China.
At least we won’t have to work anymore when the world burns.
Never underestimate Joe’s ability to f*** things up.
I wanted to be Lord Humungous as a child…
Well, that's the first time in a long, LONG time that I've seen Taiwan's perennial problem displayed in print so prominently.
It's rise to power demonstrates that continuing to support Taiwan - especially to act as Taiwan's security against CCP in the face of insufficient actions on its part to provide for its defense - is a fool's errand.
China isn’t the only ones who recognize Taiwan as part of China. The US has officially thought that since the 70’s.
I thought the chick who rode on top of the truck was hot.
I enjoyed Wez’s brief role in Weird Science.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.