2024-01-13 15:05:42
The Democratic Progressive Party candidate for Taiwan’s presidential election won the presidential election, with 40.2% of the vote. Lai Ching-te is seen by Beijing as a “serious danger” due to his pro-independence positions.
Published on: 01/13/2024 – 14:05
2 min
Lai Ching-te won the presidential elections on the island this Saturday, January 13th, according to the official results. The acting vice-president of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) obtained 40.2% of the votes, according to these official provisional results corresponding to 98% of the count.
The 64-year-old Democratic Progressive Party candidate has been labeled by Beijing as a “serious danger” because he claims Taixan is de facto independent. China, which considers Taiwan as one of its provinces, urged voters to make “the right choice”, with the army promising to “crush” any aspirations for “independence”.
In an interview with RFI, Carlos Gaspar, Researcher at the Institute of International Relations, acknowledged that “that a victory for the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party will be the worst possible scenario for Xi Jinping and the leadership of the Communist Party”.
Hou Yu-ih, 66, candidate of the Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition party, which advocates rapprochement with Beijing, obtained 33.4% of the votes, according to the Central Election Commission’s count.
Hou Yu-ih acknowledged the defeat which he said he respected: “I respect the final decision of the Taiwanese people” and “I congratulate Lai Ching-te on his election. I hope he does not disappoint the expectations of the Taiwanese people”.
The third candidate, 64-year-old Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), came third with 26.4%. Ko Wen-je has also admitted defeat.
The elections are considered by several experts to be critical, especially because an armed conflict between Beijing and Taipei could put the United States in direct confrontation with China and shake the world economy.
This Saturday, January 13, Taiwanese also voted in legislative elections to renew the 113 seats in Parliament, where the Democratic Progressive Party could lose its majority.
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