Given the overall mode of the Taiwan voters in 2016, why such a poor showing for the TSU? It seems the New Power Party gained votes that otherwise could have gone to TSU. What was their mistake? Is TSU still a viable party? Will anyone miss the possible demise of TSU?
TSU was always about getting the vote from pan-green voters who aren’t exactly happy with the DPP one way or another. Some don’t like the DPP because they feel it has abandoned full on Taiwan Independence in order to win votes, some don’t like the DPP because they feel it is getting too cosy with large cooperation and forgetting its grass roots.
Those voters now have other choices in the NPP and the FTP (Free Taiwan Party). Also, DPP asked voters to help their party list vote a couple of days before the election, leading voters to feel they have to vote for the DPP, at least on the party list ticket.
[quote=“hansioux”]TSU was always about getting the vote from pan-green voters who aren’t exactly happy with the DPP one way or another. Some don’t like the DPP because they feel it has abandoned full on Taiwan Independence in order to win votes, some don’t like the DPP because they feel it is getting too cosy with large cooperation and forgetting its grass roots.
Those voters now have other choices in the NPP and the FTP (Free Taiwan Party). Also, DPP asked voters to help their party list vote a couple of days before the election, leading voters to feel they have to vote for the DPP, at least on the party list ticket.[/quote]
Every party asks voters to vote for their party list, doesn’t mean voters will do so. Yes, pan-green voters this time had other choices. But TSU also failed to convince voters to vote for them over the likes of NPP/FTP. I suppose the best days for the TSU are already behind it and most people really don’t care.
The DPP has done a lot to enhance its mainstream respectability.
I don’t disagree, but that still leaves room for non-mainstream parties to appeal to voters with non-mainstream views. It seems TSU ceded such votes this time. But it doesn’t seem anyone is crying over TSU’s poor showing either.
Hmmm, just taking a look, I didn’t realize the TSU was more green than the green, so to speak. I thought they were positioned to be more moderate.
The TSU are the extremists. Their counterpart on the other side of the spectrum are those who want re-unification with the PRC right now.