Wikipedia

Taiwan People's Party

Not to be confused with Taiwanese People's Party (1927–1931).

The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) is a centre-left political party in Taiwan. It was formally established on 6 August 2019 by Ko Wen-je, who serves as its first and current chairman. The party considers itself as an alternative third party to both the Democratic Progressive Party and Kuomintang.[13]

Taiwan People's Party
台灣民眾黨
AbbreviationTPP
ChairmanKo Wen-je (Suspended)
Secretary-GeneralVincent Chou [zh]
FounderKo Wen-je
Founded6 August 2019 (2019-08-06)
HeadquartersNo. 27, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Membership (2023)Increase 32,500[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[12]
Colours  Cyan
  White
Legislative Yuan
8 / 113
Municipal mayors
0 / 6
Magistrates/mayors
1 / 16
Councillors
15 / 910
Township/city mayors
0 / 204
Website
tpp.org.tw Edit this at Wikidata
Taiwan People's Party
Traditional Chinese台灣民眾黨
Simplified Chinese台湾民众党
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTáiwān Mínzhòngdǎng
Bopomofoㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄤˇ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhTairuan Minjonqdaang
Wade–GilesTʻai2-wan1 Min2-chung4-tang3
Tongyong PinyinTáiwan Mín-jhòng-dǎng
MPS2Tái-wān Mín-jùng-dǎng
IPA[tʰǎɪ.wán mǐn.ʈʂʊ̂ŋ.tàŋ]
Hakka
RomanizationToi-Van Min Zung Dong
Southern Min
Hokkien POJTâi-oân Bîn-chiòng Tóng
Tâi-lôTâi-uân Bîn-tsiòng Tóng

History

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Founding

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The party was proposed in August 2019 by Mayor of Taipei Ko Wen-je, for the Ministry of the Interior's approval as one of Taiwan's legal political parties.[14] It is named after political activist Chiang Wei-shui's Taiwanese People's Party,[15] which was formed in 1927 during Japanese colonial rule as Taiwan's first political party against Japanese fascism. The newly formed Taiwan People's Party conducted its founding assembly on 6 August 2019, which was Ko's 60th birthday and Chiang's 129th birthday, as a requirement of the Interior Ministry.[16] According to Ko, the Taiwan People's Party seeks to "become an alternative" to both the Pan-Green Coalition headed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as the Kuomintang (KMT)-influenced Pan-Blue Coalition.[17][18] The Diplomat noticed that TPP had recruited heavily from Pan-Blue politicians to form TPP.[19]

Chiang Li-jung, a descendant of Chiang Wei-shui's, stated that Ko was taking advantage of similarities between himself and Chiang Wei-shui. The Chiang Wei-shui Cultural Foundation panned the name of Ko's political party, stating that confusion may arise between it and Chiang's political activity.[20][21] In response, Ko stated that he preferred to retain the name, as establishing a political party was not an illegal act and therefore should not be hindered in any way.[22] On 2 August 2019, Tseng Hsu-cheng, a former deputy mayor of Tainan, began a petition against the registration of the TPP under that name, citing the historical impact of the earlier Taiwanese People's Party.[23]

At a preliminary meeting on 6 August 2019, Ko was elected chairman of the party.[24] The founding assembly of the Taiwan People's Party was held at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center later that day.[25] Of 111 founding party members, 72 attended its founding assembly.[25][26] The Taiwan People's Party charter permits party members to hold membership status in other political parties.[27][28] Many early party members worked for the Taipei City Government or for Ko. Among the TPP's first members were politicians formerly affiliated with the DPP and the Kuomintang, as well as a number of political independents.[28]

2020 elections

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Ko stated that his Taiwan People's Party would contest the 2020 legislative election,[16] but that he would not mount an independent bid in the presidential election.[29] He later said that the TPP would nominate a full slate of 34 at-large legislative candidates.[30][27] Political scientist Liao Da-chi opined that Ko's Taiwan People's Party would take more votes from supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party during the 2020 elections.[31] The Taiwan People's Party nominated its first eight candidates for single-member constituencies on 22 September 2019.[32][33] During a second round of legislative nominations on 20 October 2019, Ko stated that the Taiwan People's Party sought to prevent a single political party from winning a legislative majority. The TPP described this tactic as "pushing the pan-blue and pan-green camps to the side to allow for the people to be in the center."[34] In November 2019, the Taiwan People's Party announced a party list of 29 at-large legislative candidates.[35][36] In December 2019, the TPP's political goals grew in scale, as Ko stated that the party aimed to be the largest represented in the Legislative Yuan.[37] The TPP won five at-large seats in the 2020 legislative election, becoming the third largest party represented within the legislature.[38][39]

2020 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election

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Wu Yi-jheng of the TPP also ran a candidate in the 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election. However, he finished with only 4.06% of the vote, a distant third to Chen Chi-mai of the DPP (70.03%) and Li Mei-jhen of the KMT (25.90%).

2024 elections

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Ko ran as the official candidate for the TPP in the 2024 presidential election[40][41] and contested in the legislative election. There were plans for a joint ticket in the presidential election with KMT's Hou Yu-ih. However, talks collapsed before registration for the presidential ballot after disagreements over policies and leadership issues.[42][43] Ko nominated Cynthia Wu, an at-large legislative member who served the 10th Legislative Yuan and businesswoman, as his running-mate on 24th November.[44] Despite the failure of TPP-KMT joint ticket, TPP and KMT presidential and vice-presidential candidates emphasized they would work together as fellow Pan-Blue parties.[43] The TPP nominated the maximum 34 at-large legislative candidates, and 10 legislative candidates for single-member constituencies, concentrating mostly in northern Taiwan.[45][46] Ko championed himself as a "middle road" between the KMT and the DPP, attracting young voters that had been dissatisfied with the "big two parties".[47] According to The Diplomat, there is a shift recently in political stance closer to Pan-Blue than to initially Pan-Green.[19] On the other hand, Time and CNN observe the party as remaining centrist, positioning itself as a stark contrast to both the KMT and DPP.[48][49]

Ko received 26.46% of the popular vote in the presidential election, placing his party in third place, and received 8 at-large legislative seats, gaining 3 seats in total.[50] The TPP had received its greatest result in these presidential and legislative elections since its inception thus far, preventing both KMT and DPP from obtaining a decisive legislative majority.[51]

Symbols and organization

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The party charter also states that the party's formal abbreviated name in Chinese is 民眾黨; Mínzhòngdǎng. Prior to the party's founding, Chinese-language media referred to the party as 台民黨; Táimíndǎng.[28][52] The party colors are turquoise and white. The first signifies an end to the longtime blue–green political divide in Taiwan. The color white represents the "white force" of Ko's allies, a group that supports open and transparent government.[53]

In 2023, the New Homeland Think Tank Association, was established as a TPP-affiliated think tank.[54]

While public opinion of Ko suffered due to corruption investigations, TPP as a whole experienced only a minor decline in support in September 2024.[55]

Election results

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Presidential elections

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Election Candidate Running mate Total votes Share of votes Outcome
2024 Ko Wen-je Cynthia Wu 3,690,466 26.46% Defeated

Legislative elections

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Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Changes Party leader Status President
2020
5 / 113
 1,588,806 11.22% Ko Wen-je 3rd Party Tsai Ing-wen
2024
8 / 113
 3,040,334 22.07%   3 seats Ko Wen-je 3rd Party Lai Ching-te

Local elections

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Election Magistrates and mayors Councillors Township/city mayors Township/city council representatives Village chiefs Party leader
2022
unified
2 / 22
14 / 910
0 / 204
9 / 2,139
3 / 7,748
 Ko Wen-je

Notable members

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References

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  1. ^ "民眾黨歲末年終記者會". 31 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024. 我們的黨員人數已經超過了22,000人。
  2. ^ Ko Wen-je. 【柯P老實說】我心目中的「國家治理」：執政不難，莫忘初衷而已｜20210123 國家治理學院國政班結業式演說 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 民眾之聲. 15:15—16:20 minutes in. 其實我們不是種族民族主義，是公民民族主義
  3. ^ "「自由派」的民眾黨與「進步派」的時力，將是立法院超越藍綠的「不關鍵少數」". The News Lens 關鍵評論網 (in Chinese). 14 January 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2023. 民眾黨有「當代自由主義」的味道，這項思潮是當年美國經濟大衰退後，面對內憂外患，以凱恩斯學派為基礎的體制改革。
  4. ^ Klein, Axel; Krumbein, Frédéric; Mosler, Hannes (1 February 2022). "Populism in East Asian Democracies: Report on the International Lecture Series of the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Oct 2020 – Feb 2021)". International Journal of Taiwan Studies. 5: 187–201. doi:10.1163/24688800-20211241. S2CID 246929274. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Despite Tsai's Victory, Nationalism and Populism are Still Strong in Taiwan". Taiwan Insight. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Opinion: Rising Populism in Taiwan Politics". Global Taiwan Institute – via CommonWealth Magazine.
  7. ^ 林文正; 林宗弘. "韓流與柯粉: 台灣民粹政治的社會起源". In 蕭新煌; 楊文山; 尹寶珊; 鄭宏泰 (eds.). 香港與台灣的社會政治新動向. p. 91-140.
  8. ^ [4][5][6][7]
  9. ^ "逼宮立委2／「帶職參選」成緊箍咒？民眾黨高層已有定論". 周刊王 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 27 January 2022. 以政治光譜來說，民眾黨是中間偏左，親民黨則是中間偏右[...]
  10. ^ "【關鍵時事】韓國瑜心腹黃文財加入民眾黨，與其說「藍洗白」更像是做白工". The News Lens (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 27 August 2021. 民眾黨的理想顏色應該是中間偏左[...]
  11. ^ Ko Wen-je. 【柯P老實說】我心目中的「國家治理」：執政不難，莫忘初衷而已｜20210123 國家治理學院國政班結業式演說 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 民眾之聲. 53:13—53:24 minutes in. 我們比較主張社會民主主義，我覺得我們還是希望說接近北歐西歐，而不是美國，這是中間偏左的概念。
  12. ^ [9][10][11]
  13. ^ Donovan Smith, Courtney (23 April 2023). "Taiwan People's Party positions itself for power politics". Taiwan News. Retrieved 25 June 2023. TPP tries to get back to its stated roots, a centrist party between DPP and KMT.
  14. ^ Strong, Matthew (31 July 2019). "Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je to launch new party". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  15. ^ Liang, Pei-chi; Wang, Cheng-chung; Huang, Frances (31 July 2019). "Taipei mayor to establish political party". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  16. ^ a b Liang, Pei-chi; Kao, Evelyn (1 August 2019). "Taipei mayor says his party will give voters more choices". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  17. ^ Chen, Ching-min; Hetherington, William (2 August 2019). "Ko launches 'Taiwan people's party'". Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  18. ^ Teng, Pei-ju (1 August 2019). "Taipei mayor to form political party, seek legislative power". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  19. ^ a b Hioe, Brian; Nachman, Lev (28 November 2023). "From Green to Blue: The Political History of Ko Wen-je". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024. ...An incident that crystallized the growing pan-Green consensus against Ko was his defense of his exchanges with China – even after student demonstrators protesting events held as part of the exchanges were attacked on the campus of National Taiwan University by gangsters with ties to pro-unification groups in September 2017...By 2018, Ko was seen as more pan-Blue than pan-Green...The TPP branded itself as being above Blue-Green politics. Despite such claims, Ko recruited heavily from the pan-Blue established politicians to form his new party. His number two and the TPP's candidate to succeed Ko as Taipei mayor in 2022, Huang Shan-shan, was even previously a member of the pro-unification New Party...
  20. ^ Huang, Tzu-ti (1 August 2019). "Taipei Mayor's choice of party name irks family of late activist". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  21. ^ Strong, Matthew (1 August 2019). "The Chiang Wei-shui Cultural Foundation's Statement about Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je forming the "Taiwanese People's Party"". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  22. ^ Lee, I-chia (4 August 2019). "Ko says party name should only change if it is illegal". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  23. ^ Hung, Jui-chin; Chin, Jonathan (7 August 2019). "Ko party petition clears legal step". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  24. ^ Everington, Keoni (6 August 2019). "Taipei Mayor founds Taiwan People's Party, elected chairman". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  25. ^ a b Lee, I-chia (7 August 2019). "Ko elected chairman at TPP founding". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  26. ^ Liang, Pei-chi; Ku, Chuan; Chen, Yi-hsuan; Yeh, Joseph (6 August 2019). "Taiwan People's Party formed by Taipei mayor". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  27. ^ a b Maxon, Ann (8 August 2019). "NPP to be most affected by Ko's new party: Huang". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  28. ^ a b c Hioe, Brian (6 August 2019). "What does the formation of the Taiwan People's Party mean for the 2020 elections?". New Bloom. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  29. ^ Lee, I-chia (18 September 2019). "Ko also decides not to run for president". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  30. ^ Lee, I-chia (8 August 2019). "Ko planning to nominate 34 for legislator-at-large". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  31. ^ Ku, Chuan; Chung, Yu-chen (1 August 2019). "New party announced by Taipei mayor a setback to DPP: scholar". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  32. ^ Liang, Pei-chi; Yeh, Joseph (22 September 2019). "Ko's TPP nominates 8 regional legislative candidates for 2020". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  33. ^ Lee, I-chia (23 September 2019). "TPP names nominees for legislative elections". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  34. ^ Lee, I-chia (21 October 2019). "New candidates join TPP as Ko unveils its goal". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  35. ^ Liang, Pei-chi; Hsu, Elizabeth (19 November 2019). "2020 Elections: Taipei labor chief tops TPP legislator-at-large list". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  36. ^ Lee, I-chia (20 November 2019). "JAN. 11 ELECTIONS: TPP unveils legislator-at-large list with 29 names". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  37. ^ Chen, Ching-min (28 December 2019). "2020 Elections: TPP aims to become largest party: Ko". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  38. ^ Lee, I-chia (12 January 2020). "2020 Elections: Taiwan People's Party tops among 'third force' parties". Taipei Times. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  39. ^ Lee, I-chia (13 January 2020). "2020 Elections: TPP 'revolution' is just beginning, Ko Wen-je says". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  40. ^ Pan, Jason (25 November 2023). "KMT, TPP picks for VP reveal intentions: critics". Taipei Times.
  41. ^ 鄭惠元 (24 November 2023). "快訊／柯文哲確定副手吳欣盈 11點將一起登記參選" (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Taiwan opposition parties deadlocked over presidential candidate". The Guardian. 18 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  43. ^ a b Hioe, Brian (2 February 2024). "KMT's Han Kuo-yu Is Taiwan's New Legislative Speaker". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024. ...the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), a pan-Blue third party, came to hold the crucial balance of power in the legislature...During the vice presidential and presidential debates, both the TPP and KMT candidates emphasized that the two parties would seek to work together, as fellow pan-Blue parties. This spirit of cooperation remained intact even though the two parties had failed to successfully negotiate a joint presidential ticket...the TPP and KMT were never able to arrive at a joint ticket because neither Ko nor Hou was willing to become the vice presidential candidate of the other...
  44. ^ Lin, Sean (24 November 2023). "Election 2024/TPP's Ko registers presidential candidacy, names lawmaker Wu as running mate". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  45. ^ "315 legislative candidates have registered". Central News Agency. Taipei Times. 26 November 2023.
  46. ^ 李俊毅 (14 September 2023). "整理包/ 2024立委大戰 藍綠白參選名單、選區一次看" (in Chinese). 中天新聞網.
  47. ^ Hawkings, Amy (10 January 2024). "Ko Wen-je: the provocative outsider who could tip Taiwan election balance". The Guardian.
  48. ^ Campbell, Charlie (10 January 2024). "Taiwan Wants Peace and Economic Stability—Now It Could Hinge on a High-Stakes Choice". Time. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024. According to last permitted polling before the vote, the China-skeptic incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Vice-President William Lai holds a slender lead over the more Beijing-friendly Nationalists, or KMT, with the upstart centrist Taiwan People's Party (TPP) in third place.
  49. ^ de Acosta, Rosa; de Shveda, Krystina; Chacon, Marco (12 January 2024). "A visual guide to Taiwan's high-stakes presidential election". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024. Taiwan People's Party (TPP), a centrist alternative party founded only in 2019.
  50. ^ "第16任總統副總統及第11屆立法委員選舉". 中央選舉委員會.
  51. ^ Hsiao, Alison (13 January 2024). "No party gets majority in Legislature; KMT wins most seats". Focus Taiwan.
  52. ^ Fan, Shih-ping (15 August 2019). "TPP off to a disappointing start". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  53. ^ Huang, Tzu-ti (16 September 2019). "Taiwan People's Party website hacked in cyberattack". Taiwan News. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  54. ^ Huang, Ching-yu; Madjar, Kayleigh (21 January 2023). "Ko to visit US for TPP, head think tank". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  55. ^ Bilinski, Hanna (16 September 2024). "Public opinion of Ko Wen-je declines, but TPP reputation remains intact". Radio Taiwan International.
  56. ^ Wang, Chao-yu; Liu, Kuan-ting; Wang, Hung-kuo; Chiang, Yi-ching (31 May 2020). "Former National Immigration Agency head to leave KMT for TPP". Central News Agency. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
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