Taiwan’s KMT opposition secures speaker’s chair and strengthens power to check next president William Lai’s policies on mainland China

Mainland-friendly Kuomintang’s Han Kuo-yu won a vote with the support of two independents, a move one analyst says will be a ‘relief’ to Beijing

Beijing views Lai as an ‘obstinate separatist’ and is likely welcome a development that reduces his room for manoeuvre on cross-strait issues

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Han Kuo-yu (left) holds a certification document beside DPP legislative caucus leader Ker Chien-ming after being elected Speaker of the Legislative Yuan. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:18pm, 1 Feb 2024Updated: 3:16pm, 2 Feb 2024

Taiwan’s legislature elected a senior figure from the Kuomintang (KMT) as the new speaker, increasing the mainland-friendly opposition’s ability to block legislation and check the powers of incoming president William Lai Ching-te.

Han Kuo-yu, the defeated presidential candidate in 2020, was elected speaker of the island’s legislature following two rounds of voting on Thursday.

“Thanks to the support of the KMT legislative caucus and two of our independent colleagues, I was able to win the speakership with 54 votes … I shoulder the responsibility of initiating reforms in parliament and I will devote myself to striving for the interests of the public,” Han said after the election.

Johnny Chiang, a KMT legislator and former party chairman, took the vice-speaker’s post.

Han defeated his opponent You Si-kun of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in a 54-51 narrow victory, securing the support of two independents to take the speaker’s chair after eight years of DPP control.

The smaller opposition party – the Taiwan People’s Party, which holds the balance of power with eight seats in the legislature – did not back either the KMT or DPP candidate.