Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s popularity hit by #MeToo and egg scandals
- Latest opinion polling shows 2 million voters have turned away from Tsai in a ratings slump that could affect January elections
- More than half of those polled said they were dissatisfied with the administration’s handling of imported eggs controversy
Tsai’s job approval rating dropped 10.4 percentage points to 38.4 per cent in September, from 48.8 per cent last month, according to the latest survey results, released on Monday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation.
The Taipei-based independent polling agency, which is known for its impartial stance, found disapproval of Tsai rose to 48.2 per cent, from 42.3 per cent in August – the same level as in June, when her party became caught up in a wave of #MeToo allegations.
Several senior party and government executives were accused of either failing to respond to sexual harassment accusations or were themselves implicated in allegations of misconduct.
Agency head Michael You Ying-lung said the latest results – which put Tsai’s disapproval rating 9.8 percentage points higher than support for her – meant Tsai is once again embroiled in a predicament over her administration.