When Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party is inaugurated in May, he will face an opposition-controlled legislature that will complicate policymaking in the island democracy.
The most significant outcome of Taiwan’s elections is not the DPP’s unprecedented third consecutive presidential victory, but rather its loss of the legislature and the return of divided government after a 16-year hiatus.
Yet the increased oversight of the ruling party could ultimately serve to strengthen Taiwan’s democracy. This holds especially true for foreign affairs and cross-strait relations, which under President Tsai Ing-wen closely aligned with the U.S. as Washington and Beijing intensified their great-power competition.