KUNMING, China -- While all signs pointed to a victory by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's "pan-green" coalition (Democratic Progressive Party plus former President Lee Teng-hui's independence-oriented Taiwan Solidarity Union) in parliamentary elections Dec. 11, the Kuomintang/People First Party (KMT/PFP or "pan-blue") coalition won 114 of the 225 seats in the Legislative Yuan -- its first victory in the past four major elections.
Having predicted a DPP victory, Chen felt compelled to resign from his post as DPP chairman to accept responsibility for the loss. That may cause him to be seen by some, prematurely, as a lame duck.
Parties rarely win or lose elections based on a single issue or factor, but it seems clear that Chen's brand of "in your face" politics, which in the past successfully fueled nationalistic sentiments backfired. While claiming to still honor his pledge not to formally change the Republic of China's name (a de facto declaration of independence and deliberate crossing of a presumed Chinese red line), he has continued to push this envelop by "informally" substituting Taiwan for the ROC every chance he gets. He even pledged that next year's quixotic quest to join the United Nations would be under the name Taiwan.