The establishment of new pan-green parties that are to vie for legislative seats in next year’s presidential and legislative elections would pose a significant challenge to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in some constituencies, a DPP member said on Sunday.
Districts where the DPP holds a seat or where it has equal influence with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are likely to see the greatest challenge from the new parties, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The new parties are likely to be less of a challenge in single-member districts, the source said.
The independence-leaning Taiwan Action Party Alliance (TAPA) was established on Aug. 18 and the Formosa Alliance announced its transition into a political party on July 20.
The parties said they would run in the legislative elections to balance the DPP’s and the KMT’s power.
Another pan-green party named the Taiwan Renewal Party was formally launched on Saturday.
The goal of TAPA, the Formosa Alliance, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) newly established Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and other minor parties is to snatch votes from the major parties, the source said, adding that this is different from winning legislator-at-large seats, which have a 5 percent threshold, or those subsidized by parties, which have a 3 percent threshold.
The TPP stands out from the others, as it is not aligned with the DPP or the KMT, and it could threaten the New Power Party as the third force in the legislature if it passes the 5 percent threshold, they said.
The TPP is likely to recruit candidates from among people overlooked in the KMT’s and the DPP’s primaries, they added.
However, noting that the DPP held 14 legislator-at-large seats when it was at its lowest point in 2007, and the KMT — which is perceived by political observers as being at its lowest point — holds 11 seats, the new parties are unlikely to do well at the polls, as they have been established too close to the elections, the source said.
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