TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Spokesperson Chuo Kuan-ting (卓冠廷) on Sunday criticized the TPP’s call for a coalition government with the KMT, describing it as an attempt to oust the DPP from power.
Chuo said the TPP’s cooperation with the KMT was politically motivated, urging TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to respond to KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) recent remark that “Putin is not a dictator.” He also argued that Taiwan’s mixed system of governance is not suited to forming a coalition government, per Newtalk.
Chuo’s comments came after Huang discussed the feasibility of a coalition government during a Sunday press conference. Huang noted that Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party chose to work with the Japan Innovation Party instead of its former coalition partner Komeito, per CNA. He said the two parties had aligned their policy agendas in official documents before Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s election.
Huang added that the TPP is organizing forums across Taiwan to explore the practicality of coalition governments, with the first held in Keelung. He also announced plans for the TPP’s youth and international departments to visit Japan at the end of November, with Huang leading the delegation, per UDN.
In response to Chuo, TPP Spokesperson Chang Tong (張彤) said the party’s efforts reflect public support for a coalition Cabinet, per CNA. Citing a September poll by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, Chang noted that 51% of respondents believe President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) administration should share power with the opposition.
TPP Deputy Secretary-General Osmar Hsu (許甫) also countered Chuo’s argument, pointing out that Lai has previously suggested allowing legislators to serve as Cabinet members, a key feature of a parliamentary system, per China Times. Hsu said this proposal undermines the DPP’s claim that such a system would not work in Taiwan.
Hsu emphasized that the TPP’s call for a coalition government is a pragmatic response to the current political landscape, where none of the three major parties holds a legislative majority sufficient to advance their agenda without obstruction.
