The DPP will be the largest party in the next legislature following last Saturday's election. As for the "pan-blue" camp, the People First Party enjoyed a significant victory, but the KMT suffered a crushing defeat while the New Party effectively disintegrated. Ironically, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The PFP's strong showing has proven that Soong is truly formidable. In the party's very first elections, apart from winning the commissioner seats in Taitung and Lianchiang, its legislative candidates almost made a clean sweep. Many of the party's legislators-elect even came out on top, forcing the KMT into disorderly retreat.
The PFP occupies territory on the right of Taiwan's political spectrum. It is considered a pro-unification party, but it is not as far-right or pro-unification as the New Party. In addition, Soong's charisma has made the PFP his personal party in the eyes of many voters, rather than a right-wing or pro-unification party.
As a result, the PFP victory can only be interpreted as a great victory for Soong, not for the right-wing or pro-reunification camp.
Moreover, when we look at the composition of the new legislature, we see that although the PFP is the third-largest party, it is also considered a "rising party" -- just like Britain's Liberal Democrat Party (LDP). Many in Britain's political circles have predicted that the Conservative Party, the second-largest party, may sooner or later be displaced by the LDP, the third-largest party, if the latter continues to regard itself as the most influential opposition party.
The PFP may also be able to displace the KMT in due course, for two main reasons. First, the KMT's legislators are constantly leaving the party for the PFP. Second, Soong will most likely run for president in two-and-a-half years on behalf of the "pan-blue" camp, which will inevitably trigger a large, tectonic shift within the camp.
As for the New Party, its candidates were almost completely annihilated, winning only one legislative seat and one commissioner seat in Kinmen County. Although its defeat partly resulted from the "PFP effect," it is not an exaggeration to say that the party dug its own grave.
A political party will be eliminated sooner or later once it becomes more and more introverted and only talks to its own members rather than to society at large.
Although the New Party has considered itself an "elite party" ever since its establishment, the party elite has only cared about one single issue -- national identity. The number of visits made by the party's leaders to Taiwan's townships can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but they've made more visits to China than any other politicians from Taiwan. The "China first, Taiwan second" policy that this behavior implied strongly irritated the nation's electorate.
Last Saturday's elections supplied the final proof that support for a far-right, pro-unification party has been completely eliminated in Taiwan.
The "pan-blue" camp will remain the largest force in the legislature.
But even if the KMT does not split in two in the near future -- as it is expected to do -- Soong will never again regard Lien as his equal following last Satur-day's PFP triumph.
If a united "pan-green" camp does indeed meet a divided "pan-blue" camp, it will mean that the prologue to the Legislative Yuan's own Warring States Period (
Wang Chien-chuang is president of The Journalist magazine.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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