WEB DESK
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te has won the much-anticipated Taiwanese presidential polls and is set to be the next President. This marks the historic third-straight victory for the DPP after Tsai Ing-wena completed her two terms as Taiwan’s President since 2016. According to the Central Election Commission report, Lai received over 5 million votes and more than 40 per cent of the vote share.
Kuomintang candidate Hou Yu-ih received 33 per cent of the total votes. In third place, the Taiwan People’s Party candidate Ko Wen-je took 26 per cent of the national vote.
Lai, who previously served as Tainan’s mayor has pledged to continue bolstering national defense, the economy, and cooperation with democratic allies. He also said he would maintain deterrence and uphold the cross-strait status quo, during an election speech.
China has increased military activities around Taiwan in recent years, including near-daily incursions into the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and sending military ships near its maritime borders. With Lai as president, the Taiwanese have made clear they will not back down from Chinese intimidation.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese also voted for all 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan. The legislature is divided into 73 single-seat constituencies, 34 at-large seats decided by votes for lists of candidates per political party with a 5 per cent threshold, and six seats for indigenous representatives.