Taiwan’s ruling party faces major defeat

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday after it suffered major defeats in key mid-term polls, a significant blow to her prospects for re-election in 2020.

The Beijing-friendly main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) made gains in the face of China’s increasing pressure on the island. Taiwan is still awaiting the result of a closely watched referendum on gay marriage, with activists fearing a win for conservative “pro-family” campaigners would turn back the clock on the island’s reputation as a trailblazer for marriage equality.

Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have faced a mounting backlash over domestic reforms as well as concerns about deteriorating ties with China, which still sees self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified. Tsai told reporters that she would take “complete responsibility” for the defeat as she resigned as chair of the party.