The country is facing a new era of political uncertainty with no party expected to win a majority in the upcoming legislative elections, analysts and politicians say.
Like last year's presidential polls, which saw the KMT's 51-year grip on power end, the Dec. 1 elections could be a mixed blessing, they say.
"After the polls Taiwan could face a political situation it has never experienced before," said Joseph Wu (
"We can say for sure that not any single political party is going to get a majority in the legislature and that for the first time Taiwan will witness a coalition government."
Up for grabs are 225 seats in the legislature, including 168 for local constituencies, eight for representatives of Aboriginal groups and eight for overseas Taiwanese.
A total of 476 candidates are vying for the 168 seats, while the remaining 41 seats will be allocated to nominees from different political parties based on the parties' share of the vote.
Some local elections will also be held in conjunction with the polls, with five cities electing mayors and 18 counties choosing magistrates.
The mayors of the municipalities of Taipei, and Kaohsiung will not be elected in the Dec. 1 polls.
Apparently with the unstable political scenario in mind, President Chen Shui-bian (
The recommendation was snubbed by the opposition parties, with the main issue in dispute being which parties should dominate the new Cabinet.
The opposition also branded the offer as a trick by Chen aimed at leading the public into believing that the opposition parties should be held responsible for any political instability.
The opposition also felt the offer was part of the DPP's attempts to split the opposition camp and sway their legislators.
People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) warned that the country may lapse into a "constitutional stand-off and crisis" if the DPP government continued to refuse to surrender the right to organize the next Cabinet.
"President Chen should be aware that he has to share power and coordinate with the opposition if he hopes to see stable domestic politics after the polls," Soong said.
Soong, who finished a close second in the presidential elections last year, called on the DPP government to build mutual trust with the opposition by being sincere.
However, Wu does see some hope for the looming political scenario, basing his observation on the nation's bumpy political history.
"Taiwan's political development has always featured conflicts and instability," he said.
"The elections could spawn an opportunity for the establishment of a brand new government."
Soong urged Chen to compromise by allowing the opposition parties to dominate the expected coalition government after the polls, a move he said would set "constitutional precedents."
DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
Julian Kuo (郭正亮), a political science professor at Soochow University and himself a DPP nominee for the legislative polls, predicted that the results would bring a coalition government backed by a majority consisting of DPP, independents, the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union and up to 15 KMT lawmakers.
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