An opposition candidate was elected, Thursday, February 1, at the head of the new Parliament of Taiwan in the person of Han Kuo-yu, more favorable than the president elected in January, Lai Ching-te, to a rapprochement with the China.
Nominated by the Kuomintang (KMT), Mr. Han obtained 54 votes, compared to 51 for Mr. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, in this 113-seat assembly. The small Taiwan People’s Party abstained.
The presidential and legislative elections on January 13 gave a clear victory to Mr. Lai, without however granting an absolute parliamentary majority to the DPP or the KMT, Taiwan’s two historic parties.
Someone close to Beijing
Former mayor of the city of Kaohsiung (South), Mr. Han was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2020 presidential election against Tsai Ing-wen (DPP), who was unable to run again this year and will hand over her position on May 20 to Mr. Lai, its current vice-president.
The KMT is considered open to closer ties with Beijing, while the DPP is hostile to any rapprochement.
China, which considers Taiwan as one of its provinces and has not ruled out reunification by force if necessary, has described Mr. Lai’s accession as “danger” and increased military maneuvers around the island. since his election.
