Taiwan election results ‘suggest no appetite for rapid push for independence’ after Tsai Ing-wen’s victory
- The success of the president and her independence-leaning DPP on Saturday indicates voters are happy with the status quo, according to one analyst
- High turnout suggests young voters are becoming an increasingly important voice that politicians ignore at their peril
Taiwan’s changing voter demographics and turnout at the weekend’s elections suggest there is little appetite for dramatic changes to the island’s status, with observers saying that Beijing should not worry about a push for independence over the next four years.
The high turnout of 75 per cent – almost 9 points higher than the previous presidential election in 2016 – also indicated that young voters were becoming engaged in the political process to the point that no politician could afford to ignore them in future.
Saturday’s poll saw President Tsai Ing-wen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, beating Han Kuo-yu, from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang by more than 2.5 million votes, making her the first candidate to capture more than 8 million votes.
James Soong Chu-yu, chairman of the mainland-friendly People First Party, performed badly with only 4.2 per cent of the vote share, compared with 57.1 per cent for Tsai and 38.6 per cent for Han.
More than 14 million out of 19 million eligible voters turned out to vote in an election that also saw the DDP retain its majority in the legislature, winning 61 seats to ensure Tsai has an absolute mandate.
