Republic of China presidential election, 2012
Encyclopedia
The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China will be held in the Free Area
of the Republic of China (ROC)
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
.
The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
and also signed the ECFA
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
.
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
as her running mate.
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.
Soong chose National Taiwan University
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.
The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China will be held in the Free Area
of the Republic of China (ROC)
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
.
The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
and also signed the ECFA
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
.
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
as her running mate.
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110921-300649.html
Soong chose National Taiwan University
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.http://lowyinterpreter.org/post/2011/10/04/Deja-vu-in-Taiwan.aspx
The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China will be held in the Free Area
of the Republic of China (ROC)
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
.
The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
and also signed the ECFA
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
.
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
as her running mate.
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110921-300649.html
Soong chose National Taiwan University
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.http://lowyinterpreter.org/post/2011/10/04/Deja-vu-in-Taiwan.aspxhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/MJ04Ad01.html
withdrew
Free Area of the Republic of China
The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...
of the Republic of China (ROC)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
Republic of China legislative election, 2012
The 8th Legislative elections will be held on 14 January 2012 in the Republic of China . It will see voting take place in all Legislative constituencies of the Republic of China, in order to appoint Legislators of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. This will form the 15th Legislative...
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
.
Background
The Kuomintang ticket won a landslide victory in 2008 over the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party, with a 2.2 million vote margin on 58% of the valid votes.The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and also signed the ECFA
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China that aims to reduce tariffs and commercial barriers between the two sides...
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
1992 Consensus
The 1992 Consensus or Consensus of 1992 is a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China in mainland China and the Republic of China in Taiwan...
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
Taiwan Consensus
The Taiwan consensus is a Taiwanese political term, which came up 2011 by then Democratic Progressive Party chair Tsai Ing-wen, and intends to replace the 1992 consensus, which was the basis of negotiations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China until now.- History :The term appeared...
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
Kuomintang
Incumbent President Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
Vincent Siew
Vincent C. Siew Wan-chang is the incumbent Vice President of the Republic of China. He was the first Taiwanese-born Premier of the Republic of China and former vice-chairman of the Kuomintang .-Biography:...
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih is a Taiwanese politician of the Kuomintang Party, and the current Premier of the Republic of China.-Personal:Wu was born in Tsaotun, Nantou County, Taiwan...
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung is a Taiwanese politician and is widely regarded as the most important aide to Ma Ying-jeou. He served as the Secretary-General of Kuomintang from December 2009 to January 2011...
.
Democratic Progressive Party
Incumbent chairperson Tsai Ing-wenTsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen is the current chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. Studying in Taiwan, the U.S and the U.K. Tsai earned an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, an LL.M. from Cornell University Law School and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics....
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party. He is the former Premier of the Republic of China. Su actively campaigned for the Presidential nomination of the DPP, but finished second to Frank Hsieh in the nomination process...
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang is a Taiwanese politician, formerly Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party . He was a supporter of the Pan-Blue Coalition from 2000 to 2008 but then supported the DPP in the 2008 presidential election.-Biography:...
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party . Currently the Secretary-General of the DPP, Su was formerly a legislator and later Pingtung County Commissioner, and held national posts as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Agriculture. In 2010 he narrowly lost...
as her running mate.
People First Party
PFP chairman James Soong Chu-yuJames Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.
Soong chose National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.
The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China will be held in the Free Area
Free Area of the Republic of China
The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...
of the Republic of China (ROC)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
Republic of China legislative election, 2012
The 8th Legislative elections will be held on 14 January 2012 in the Republic of China . It will see voting take place in all Legislative constituencies of the Republic of China, in order to appoint Legislators of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. This will form the 15th Legislative...
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
.
Background
The Kuomintang ticket won a landslide victory in 2008 over the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party, with a 2.2 million vote margin on 58% of the valid votes.The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and also signed the ECFA
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China that aims to reduce tariffs and commercial barriers between the two sides...
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
1992 Consensus
The 1992 Consensus or Consensus of 1992 is a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China in mainland China and the Republic of China in Taiwan...
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
Taiwan Consensus
The Taiwan consensus is a Taiwanese political term, which came up 2011 by then Democratic Progressive Party chair Tsai Ing-wen, and intends to replace the 1992 consensus, which was the basis of negotiations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China until now.- History :The term appeared...
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
Kuomintang
Incumbent President Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
Vincent Siew
Vincent C. Siew Wan-chang is the incumbent Vice President of the Republic of China. He was the first Taiwanese-born Premier of the Republic of China and former vice-chairman of the Kuomintang .-Biography:...
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih is a Taiwanese politician of the Kuomintang Party, and the current Premier of the Republic of China.-Personal:Wu was born in Tsaotun, Nantou County, Taiwan...
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung is a Taiwanese politician and is widely regarded as the most important aide to Ma Ying-jeou. He served as the Secretary-General of Kuomintang from December 2009 to January 2011...
.
Democratic Progressive Party
Incumbent chairperson Tsai Ing-wenTsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen is the current chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. Studying in Taiwan, the U.S and the U.K. Tsai earned an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, an LL.M. from Cornell University Law School and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics....
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party. He is the former Premier of the Republic of China. Su actively campaigned for the Presidential nomination of the DPP, but finished second to Frank Hsieh in the nomination process...
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang is a Taiwanese politician, formerly Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party . He was a supporter of the Pan-Blue Coalition from 2000 to 2008 but then supported the DPP in the 2008 presidential election.-Biography:...
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party . Currently the Secretary-General of the DPP, Su was formerly a legislator and later Pingtung County Commissioner, and held national posts as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Agriculture. In 2010 he narrowly lost...
as her running mate.
People First Party
PFP chairman James Soong Chu-yuJames Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110921-300649.html
Soong chose National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.http://lowyinterpreter.org/post/2011/10/04/Deja-vu-in-Taiwan.aspx
The election for the 13th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China will be held in the Free Area
Free Area of the Republic of China
The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...
of the Republic of China (ROC)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on January 14, 2012. The election will be held together with legislative elections
Republic of China legislative election, 2012
The 8th Legislative elections will be held on 14 January 2012 in the Republic of China . It will see voting take place in all Legislative constituencies of the Republic of China, in order to appoint Legislators of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. This will form the 15th Legislative...
. It will be the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
.
Background
The Kuomintang ticket won a landslide victory in 2008 over the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party, with a 2.2 million vote margin on 58% of the valid votes.The administration of Ma Ying-jeou has been more friendly in policy towards the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and also signed the ECFA
Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China that aims to reduce tariffs and commercial barriers between the two sides...
, a preferential trade agreement between the governments of the PRC (mainland) and the ROC (Taiwan).
The Democratic Progressive Party was hit hard with former president Chen Shui-bian's corruption relevations, but new chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen rebuilt the party, leading to a series of victories in legislator by elections and local elections. More recently, key prosecution witnesses in cases against former president Chen Shui-bian have purchased newspaper ads to accuse the KMT-appointed special investigation unit of coercion and the corruption charges brought against Chen's administration and its officials were found to be based on falsified evidences. This greatly galvanized native Taiwanese people both in Taiwan and abroad as well as the Democratic Progressive Party as evident in chairwoman Tsai's visit to United States.
One big election topic appears to be the 1992 consensus
1992 Consensus
The 1992 Consensus or Consensus of 1992 is a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China in mainland China and the Republic of China in Taiwan...
, a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The KMT is putting this consensus forward, while the DPP is initiating a new Taiwan consensus
Taiwan Consensus
The Taiwan consensus is a Taiwanese political term, which came up 2011 by then Democratic Progressive Party chair Tsai Ing-wen, and intends to replace the 1992 consensus, which was the basis of negotiations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China until now.- History :The term appeared...
, which aims to be more democratic and to be ratified by the legislature and a referendum for ROC citizens. Under the DPP's new consensus, this should be the basis for negotiations with the PRC.
Kuomintang
Incumbent President Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
is standing for re-election. There were no challengers within the party, so no primary was necessary.
Vice President Vincent Siew Wan-chang
Vincent Siew
Vincent C. Siew Wan-chang is the incumbent Vice President of the Republic of China. He was the first Taiwanese-born Premier of the Republic of China and former vice-chairman of the Kuomintang .-Biography:...
chose not to run for a second term, and on 19 June 2011 President Ma selected Premier Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih
Wu Den-yih is a Taiwanese politician of the Kuomintang Party, and the current Premier of the Republic of China.-Personal:Wu was born in Tsaotun, Nantou County, Taiwan...
as his running mate.
Ma's campaign is being run by King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung
King Pu-tsung is a Taiwanese politician and is widely regarded as the most important aide to Ma Ying-jeou. He served as the Secretary-General of Kuomintang from December 2009 to January 2011...
.
Democratic Progressive Party
Incumbent chairperson Tsai Ing-wenTsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen is the current chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. Studying in Taiwan, the U.S and the U.K. Tsai earned an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, an LL.M. from Cornell University Law School and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics....
is the DPP nominee. She was designated the party’s candidate in April 2011 following a primary by opinion polls. Candidates for the DPP primary were Tsai, former premier Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party. He is the former Premier of the Republic of China. Su actively campaigned for the Presidential nomination of the DPP, but finished second to Frank Hsieh in the nomination process...
and former chairman Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang is a Taiwanese politician, formerly Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party . He was a supporter of the Pan-Blue Coalition from 2000 to 2008 but then supported the DPP in the 2008 presidential election.-Biography:...
. Former Vice President Annette Lu Hsiu-lien
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
announced her intention to run but withdrew. On the 9 September 2011 candidate Tsai chose DDP secretary-general Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan
Su Jia-chyuan is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party . Currently the Secretary-General of the DPP, Su was formerly a legislator and later Pingtung County Commissioner, and held national posts as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Agriculture. In 2010 he narrowly lost...
as her running mate.
People First Party
PFP chairman James Soong Chu-yuJames Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
launched a bid of his own on September 20, 2011. Soong has stated, however, that his candidacy is contingent on the success of a nation-wide million signature drive. He has vowed to run and keep his candidacy active through the election if his campaign garners one million signatures throughout Taiwan.http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110921-300649.html
Soong chose National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
professor emeritus Ruey-Shiung Lin, a career scientist and academic with no political experience, to be his running mate.
Soong contends that the Taiwanese people desire a third choice outside the two main parties (KMT and DPP) amid concerns that his decision may split the Pan-Blue coalition vote to hand victory to the Pan-Green candidate as was the case in the 2000 Presidential election.http://lowyinterpreter.org/post/2011/10/04/Deja-vu-in-Taiwan.aspxhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/MJ04Ad01.html
Campaign sites
withdrew