Support for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at 4-year low as #MeToo scandals rock ruling party

Disapproval rating for Taiwanese leader at 48.2 per cent tops the previous worst from May 2019, survey shows

#MeToo cases involving the DPP and Tsai’s controversial choices for constitutional court justices main factors behind slide, head of pollster says

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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has to take responsibility for the slide as the alleged sexual offences happened on her watch, according to the head of the Taipei-based polling agency behind the survey. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00am, 25 Jun 2023Updated: 3:46pm, 27 Jun 2023

Public support for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has dropped to its lowest level in four years as her party becomes caught up in a wave of #MeToo allegations.

The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation put Tsai’s approval rating at 42.3 per cent this month, down from 45.3 per cent in May.

Her disapproval rating, meanwhile, rose to 48.2 per cent – from about 37 per cent in May. It was the worst showing since May 2019, when nearly 47 per cent of voters found her performance disappointing, according to the Taipei-based independent polling agency known for its impartial stance.

“There are two main reasons for the drop in her popularity. The first is due to the impact of a host of sexual harassment cases on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),” foundation head Michael You Ying-lung said as the latest survey results were released on Tuesday.

The wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations, which began with a DPP whistle-blower on May 31, has also taken a toll on the governing party.

Its popularity dropped to 24.6 per cent, from 31.1 per cent in May, a June 14 survey by the foundation showed.

You said Tsai had to take the blame as all of the alleged incidents of sexual harassment occurred while she was the head of the party, and her close aide, senior presidential adviser Yen Chih-fa, was alleged to have been implicated in one of the cases.