In Taiwan, Han Kuo-yu, who supports rapprochement with Beijing, was elected Speaker of Parliament

The 113 representatives elected to Taiwan's parliament, the Legislative Yuan, on January 13 took office on Thursday 1^any In February, while the future head of the Democratic Progressive Party, Lai Ching-tee, will not be inaugurated until May. Neither of Taiwan's two main parties obtained an absolute majority, but with the support of the two independent MPs and the abstentions of the eight MPs from the People's Party of Taiwan (PPT), parliamentary candidates Han Kuo-yu and Junie Chiang were able to win an absolute majority. The Kuomintang was elected president and vice president respectively.

In this new parliament, the Kuomintang, the former Chinese Nationalist Party, holds 52 seats (compared to 38 seats in the previous legislature) and the Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power since 2016 and was re-elected in January for a third term, holds 51 seats. Only (compared to 68 in 2016 and 61 in 2020).

During his inauguration speech, Han Kuo Yu pledged to respect the principle of neutrality imposed on him by his role. ” The Taiwanese people want a legislative yuan that takes governance seriously, is cooperative and unified, and is dedicated to Taiwan's well-being.. (…) “I would like to remind the 113 lawmakers that the world is watching democracy in Taiwan.”said the man who in 1993 beat him to the point of sending him to hospital, former President Chen Shui-bian (Democratic Progressive Party), when both men were young lawmakers.

Taiwan's parliament is one of the most undisciplined parliaments on the planet. You can sometimes see mobile phones, microphones, shoes or lunch boxes flying under the image of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name), before deputies fight.

Symbolic advantage

For Han Kuo-yu, 66, a somewhat gruff but sly and charismatic figure among the older crowd, and the biggest loser in the 2020 presidential election, the appointment marks an unexpected return to the heart of politics. “He's easy to get along with. Some say he drinks a lot, but that's just to comfort people and make friends. He's a hard worker.” Guaranteed world Yeh Kwang Shih, who was the vice mayor of Kaohsiung. His presidential defeat in 2020 was coupled with another political blow when residents of the large southern city, Kaohsiung, were able to expel him from the city council, after an extremely rare procedure. Two years earlier, his unexpected invasion of this city, considered an impregnable stronghold of the Democratic Progressive Party of the Kuomintang, demonstrated his stubbornness and ambition.

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