Taiwanese election snubs Chinese overtures

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Taiwan elected its first female president today, as Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ended the Nationalist Party’s eight-year rule amid a sputtering economy and fears of closer ties with China. The DPP also won 68 of the 113 seats in the legislature.

“We will put political polarization behind us and look forward to the arrival of an era of new politics in Taiwan,” Tsai said in her victory speech. “The people expect a government that can lead this country into the next generation, a government that is steadfast in protecting this country’s sovereignty.”

The win, largely expected, comes as Taiwan’s youth rejected the cozy relationship between President Ma Ying-jeou’s and Beijing that led to 23 agreements on trade, investments, and tourism during his eight-year term. Many complained the deals don’t benefit Taiwan and would increase the mainland’s influence on the island, a real possibility as the Taiwanese watch China’s manhandling of Hong Kong. In April 2014, 500,000 Taiwanese citizens flooded the streets in the Sunflower Movement to protest the administration’s opaque procedures surrounding a trade deal with China.

The Nationalist Party, also known as the Kuomingtang (KMT) suffered a crushing defeat. Candidate Eric Chu only garnered half the number of Tsai’s votes and the party took 36 seats in the legislature, compared to 64 seats four years ago.

“We failed. The Nationalist Party lost the elections. We didn’t work hard enough,” Chu said in his concession speech before making a long bow.

The DPP’s official platform promotes Taiwan’s independence, but Tsai has struck a more moderate position by aiming to maintain the status quo of de facto independence. The future of cross-strait relations is in question because Tsai rejects the view that Taiwan and China are parts of a single nation that eventually will be unified. That consensus created the basis for the KMT and Beijing to draft trade agreements and for their two leaders—Ma and Chinese President Xi Jinping—to meet in Singapore in November.

The youth base that helped Tsai win was noticeable at a DPP rally on Friday night before the elections. Food carts selling spring onion pancakes, fried dough sticks, and almond milk tea lined the street, as thousands stood in the pouring rain jamming to rock bands, listening to speeches in Taiwanese, and waving their cell phones in the air as a speaker called out the campaign slogan: “Light up Taiwan.” With the excitement of a 2008 Obama rally, the crowd cheered wildly as Tsai came onstage in jeans and a windbreaker.

“Behind me is the presidential office. It’s just a few hundred meters away from the people. But those inside the presidential office can’t hear the voice of the people,” the soft-spoken former professor said, alluding to the Sunflower Movement.

Among a sea of green and white flags (the official colors of the DPP), some attendees waved rainbow flags. Tsai has stated her support for gay marriage. Some speculate Tsai could be the first Southeast Asian leader to legalize same-sex marriage, although an effort to pass such a law met fierce opposition in 2013, when tens of thousands of people—many from local churches and Christians groups—rallied outside the Presidential Office in Taipei to defend traditional marriage.

The biggest issue for Taiwanese voters is the economy. GDP growth dropped to 1 percent in 2015. Sandy Shih, a English tutor in her 40s, said many felt frustrated that their cost of living has increased while their income level has stayed the same. In the capital city of Taipei, the ratio of housing price to income is the highest in the world, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In order to buy a home, an average Taipei household would need to save the equivalent of 15 years of wages.

With college loans and an average starting salary of $840 a month, many young people “have heavy financial burdens. They can’t save, much less think about getting married or having kids,” Shih said. “We want Taiwan to be competitive again, we don’t always want to lag behind.” Taiwan also has one of the lowest marriage and birthrates in the world, which will lead to greater economic and social problems in the future. Tsai hopes to tackle Taiwan’s economic problems by diversifying trade with South, Southeast, and East Asia, as well as developing industrial bases on the island.

Despite the troubles ahead, Taiwan is unique as the only democracy in the Chinese world. A Beijing-based democracy activist visited Taipei last week and told me he started tearing up when he landed in Taiwan. He saw the island of 23 million as a living, breathing example of all he was fighting for in mainland China. He attended a KMT rally and remarked that it was unbelievable that he could stand so close to the current head of state.

On a sunny election day, I accompanied Shih as she strolled to a local middle school to vote. Kids chased each other in the playground, police officers joked with residents, and a middle-aged couple helped their elderly father shuffle over to the voting booths. Shih stopped by to greet neighbors and old friends, commenting how one former student had grown up, before ducking into a classroom to cast her ballot for Tsai.

“I feel everyone was pretty relaxed, since we pretty much knew who would win, we were excited to vote,” she said. “I think overall people in Taiwan are pretty hopeful, they’ll accept both the good and the bad.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.