Taiwan’s third party becomes kingmaker after voters defy China in election

Ko Wen-je was upbeat on Saturday night after finishing third in Taiwan’s presidential election. The Taiwan People’s party founder told supporters that for the first time, a third party had stood as tall as the two dominant political forces in Taiwanese politics.

“This is a new political landscape,” Ko said. “This voice will be a key power directing the country.”

While Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive party was elected president in Saturday’s election, he won just 40 per cent of the vote in a three-way contest.

The DPP’s share of 113 parliamentary seats also fell to 51, while the Kuomintang, the largest opposition party, won 52, making the TPP’s caucus of eight enough to swing a majority and thrusting the once-marginal party into the heart of political decision-making as Taiwan contends with an increasingly assertive China. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to attack if Taipei resists unification indefinitely.

“Their impact is huge,” said Tsai Chia-hung, a research fellow at the Election Study Center of National Chengchi University in Taipei. “They have become a viable third party.”

Founded less than five years ago, the TPP has achieved a rapid rise — as has its founder. A prominent trauma and organ transplant surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital, Ko entered politics in 2014 when he ran for mayor of Taipei on the coattails of the Sunflower student protest movement.

He has proven an extremely flexible politician. Ko initially aligned with the DPP, the homegrown party which defines Taiwan as an independent nation and seeks to limit its dependence on China. But he has since shifted to positions more associated with the Kuomintang, which says Taiwan belongs to a greater Chinese nation but disagrees with Beijing over which state should rule that nation.

As Taipei mayor, Ko started calling Taiwan and China “members of one family”, and while he mostly sidestepped China policy issues…