Taiwan: Han Kuo-yu, in favor of rapprochement with Beijing, elected president of Parliament
Han Kuo-yu is a former Taiwanese presidential candidate for the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party. He promises a legislature that will “
work hard, be cooperative and united, for the good of the people and without getting lost in power games
.” He was elected with 54 votes to 51 for the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, the DPP, the party of newly elected President Lai Ching-te. An equation that will complicate his task.
Han Kuo-yu, pro-Beijing, elected president of Taiwan's Parliament, February 1, 2024. REUTERS - ANN WANG
By: RFI Follow
Advertisement
Read more
The election of Han Kuo-Yu, opposition candidate, is very bad news for the newly elected president of the DPP,
Lai Ching-te
. At the head of Parliament, Han Kuo-Yu, former mayor of the city of Kaohsiung and unsuccessful candidate in the 2020 presidential election, will occupy a key position at a time when China is increasing its pressure on the island which it considers a rebel province.
The battles in the new assembly are likely to be tough, whether for any increase in the defense budget or any purchase of American weapons, especially since Han Kuo-Yu is known for his desire to bring
Taiwan
closer to China .
Unlike the two previous legislatures, the Democratic Progressive Party no longer has an absolute majority in Parliament and will therefore have to deal with the two other major forces, first with its historic rival the Kuomintang (KMT) and then also with the People's Party. of Taiwan, the TPP, which intends to establish itself as kingmaker. It is precisely thanks to the abstention of the eight TPP deputies that the KMT candidate was able to advance to the second round of voting. This is a first defeat for the DPP of new president Lai Ching-te.
Read alsoTaiwan: after Lai Ching-te’s victory, “it is possible that China will increase the pressure”
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Taiwan