New Party (Taiwan)
The New Party (NP; Chinese: 新黨; pinyin: Xīn Dǎng; Hakka: Sîn Tóng), formerly the Chinese New Party (CNP), is a Chinese nationalist political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan).
New Party 新黨 | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Wu Cherng-dean |
| Vice Chairman | Lee Sheng-feng |
| Founder | Jaw Shaw-kong, Yok Mu-ming et al. |
| Founded | August 22, 1993 |
| Split from | Kuomintang |
| Headquarters | Taipei |
| Membership (2020) | at least 500[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| National affiliation | Pan-Blue Coalition |
| Legislative Yuan | 0 / 113 |
| Municipal mayors | 0 / 6 |
| Magistrates/mayors | 0 / 16 |
| Councilors | 1 / 912 |
| Township/city mayors | 0 / 204 |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| New Party | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 新黨 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 新党 | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The New Party was established in 1993 due to a split from the Kuomintang by members of the New Kuomintang Alliance, who were dissatisfied with Kuomintang Chairman Lee Teng-hui. In the 2000 presidential elections, the party symbolically nominated Li Ao as its candidate, but both Li and the party encouraged party members to support former Kuomintang member James Soong. It won one seat in the 2001 legislative elections, and saw significant support in the 2005–06 municipal elections, though its influence has waned since then.
The New Party is considered to be on the right-wing or the far-right of the political spectrum. It strongly supports unification with China and opposes Taiwanese independence.
History edit
The New Party was formed on 22 August 1993 out of a split from the then-ruling Kuomintang (KMT) by members of the New Kuomintang Alliance.[2][3] Members of the Alliance had accused KMT Chairman Lee Teng-hui of autocratic tendencies and moving the party away from Chinese unification. Co-founders of the New Party included Chen Kuei-miao.[4] Originally, the party wanted to keep the name of the faction, but was prevented from doing so due to the similarity of names. The name "New Party" was seemingly inspired by the contemporary electoral success of the Japan New Party.
At this time, the party favored direct presidential elections, the ideals of Sun Yat-sen, voluntary service instead of military service, and "equal protection of human rights." The party also called for direct flights between Taiwan and the mainland, speaking of a "Great Chinese Common Market."[3]
In the mid-1990s, the New Party attracted support from the KMT old guard as well as young urban professionals. The New Party was aided by former Finance Minister Wang Chien-shien and former Environmental Protection Administration Director Jaw Shaw-kong, who had charismatic and clean images.
In the 2000 presidential election, the party nominated writer and dissident Li Ao, who ran a spirited but token campaign. In the election, most members of the party supported former provincial governor James Soong, who ran as an independent candidate after losing the KMT nomination and subsequently being expelled from the KMT, and in fact both Li Ao and the New Party leader Lee Ching-hua encouraged people to support him.[5] In the 2001 Legislative Yuan election, the party won a single seat, Wu Cherng-dean's, in Kinmen.
In the 2005–06 municipal elections, the New Party made significant gains, seating over a dozen members into public office. The New Party also gained four seats in the Taipei Mayor's private offices.
Since the 2008 Legislative Yuan elections, the New Party has not won any seats, while the party supported most of the KMT candidates.
Ideology and policies edit
The New Party considered to be to be a right-wing[6] or far-right political party.[7][8] It strongly opposes Taiwanese independence and supports Chinese unification.[9]
In August 2019, it announced a proposal to unify China under the "one country, two systems" principle. The proposal includes post-unification goals such as maintaining a multi-party political system, a legal ban on the Taiwan independence movement, reducing the size of Taiwan's armed forces, inclusion of Taiwanese representatives in China's delegation to the United Nations, and integration of Taiwanese business in the Belt and Road Initiative.[10]
Election results edit
Presidential elections edit
| Election | Candidate | Running mate | Total votes | Share of votes | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Li Ao | Elmer Fung | 16,782 | 0.13% | Lost |
| 2020 | Yang Shih-kuang | Withdrew | |||
Legislative elections edit
| Election | Total seats won | Total votes | Share of votes | Outcome of election | Election leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 21 / 164 | 1,222,931 | 13.0% | 21 seats; Opposition | Chen Kuei-miao |
| 1998 | 11 / 225 | 708,465 | 7.1% | 10 seats; Opposition | Chou Yang-shan |
| 2001 | 1 / 225 | 269,620 | 2.9% | 8 seats; Governing coalition (Pan-Blue) | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2004 | 1 / 225 | 12,137 | 0.13% | ; Governing coalition (Pan-Blue) | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2008 | 0 / 113 | 199,402 | 53.5% | 1 seats; No seats | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2012 | 0 / 113 | 10,678 | 0.08% | ; No seats | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2016 | 0 / 113 | 510,074 | 4.18% | ; No seats | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2020 | 0 / 113 | 147,303 | 1.04% | ; No seats | Yok Mu-ming |
Local elections edit
| Election | Mayors & Magistrates | Councils | Third-level Municipal heads | Third-level Municipal councils | Fourth-level Village heads | Election Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 province-level only | 0 / 3 | 15 / 175 | — | — | — | Wang Chien-shien |
| 1997-1998 | 0 / 23 | 10 / 886 | 0 / 319 | — | — | Chou Yang-shan |
| 1998 municipalities only | 0 / 2 | 10 / 96 | — | — | — | Chen Kuei-miao |
| 2001 | 1 / 23 | 3 / 897 | 0 / 319 | — | — | Hsieh Chi-ta, Levi Ying |
| 2002 municipalities only | 0 / 2 | 5 / 96 | — | — | — | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2005 | 1 / 23 | 2 / 901 | 0 / 319 | — | — | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2006 municipalities only | 0 / 2 | 4 / 96 | — | — | — | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2009 | 0 / 17 | 0 / 587 | 0 / 211 | — | — | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2010 municipalities only | 0 / 5 | 3 / 314 | — | — | 0 / 3,757 | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2014 unified | 0 / 22 | 2 / 906 | 0 / 204 | 0 / 2,137 | 0 / 7,836 | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2018 unified | 0 / 22 | 2 / 912 | 0 / 204 | 0 / 2,148 | 0 / 7,744 | Yok Mu-ming |
| 2022 unified | 0 / 22 | 1 / 910 | 0 / 204 | 0 / 2,139 | 0 / 7,748 | Wu Cherng-dean |
National Assembly elections edit
| Election | Total seats won | Total votes | Share of votes | Outcome of election | Election leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 46 / 334 | 1,417,209 | 13.6% | 46 seats; Opposition | Chen Kuei-miao |
| 2005 | 3 / 300 | 34,253 | 0.88% | 43 seats; Opposition (Rejecting amendments) | Yok Mu-ming |
Leaders edit
- Convenors of the New Party National Committee
- Jaw Shaw-kong (August 1993 – May 1994)
- Yok Mu-ming (May 1994 – October 1994)
- Wang Chien-shien (October 1994 – August 1995)
- Chen Kuei-miao (August 1995 – August 1997)
- Chou Yang-shan (August 1997 – August 1998)
- Chen Kuei-miao (August 1998 – December 1998)
- Feng Ting-kuo (acting; December 1998 – January 1999)
- Lee Ching-hua (January 1999 – March 2000)
- Hau Lung-pin (March 2000 – March 2001)
- Hsieh Chi-ta (March 2001 – December 2001)
- Levi Ying (acting; December 2001 – January 2002)
- Yok Mu-ming (January 2002 – June 2003)
- Chairmen of the New Party
- Yok Mu-ming (June 2003 – 21 February 2021)
- Wu Cherng-dean (since 21 February 2021)
- Vice chairmen of the New Party
- Lee Sheng-feng (since 2016)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- ^ Tai, Y.C.; Liu, L.Y.; Lin, Lillian (22 August 2015). "New Party throws weight behind KMT in legislative election". Central News Agency. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b Copper, John F. (1994). "The KMT's 14th Party Congress: Toward Unity or Disunity?". American Journal of Chinese Studies. 2 (2): 163–179. ISSN 2166-0042. JSTOR 44288489.
- ^ Wen, Kuei-hsiang (2014-08-16). "New Party founder dies at 81". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
- ^ Prelypchan, Erin (12 March 2000). "Li Ao backs Soong, but Hsu hangs on". Taipei Times. from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^ "Former Taiwan president blasted for remarks on island dispute". Inter Press Service. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
On July 27, the chairman of Taiwan's right-wing New Party, Yok Mu-ming quickly filed charges of treason against the 92-year-old over his remarks. China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reiterated the charge in a July 29 editorial entitled "Lee Teng-hui a traitor to his homeland."
- ^ Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Jacques deLisle, ed. (2014). Political Changes in Taiwan Under Ma Ying-jeou: Partisan Conflict, Policy Choices, External Constraints and Security Challenges. Routledge. p. 44. ISBN 9781317755098.
... even more radical positions at the far left (TSU) or far right (NP) of the spectrum.
- ^ Fen-ling Chen, ed. (2000). Working Women and State Policies in Taiwan: A Study in Political Economy. Springer. ISBN 9780230508873.
The New Party, which split from the KMT in 1994, is a conservative party and on the far Right.
- ^ Wang, Amber (6 June 2023). "Beijing voices support for Taiwan's pro-unification forces in latest exchange". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "新黨公布"一國兩制台灣方案" (全文)" [New Party Announces "One Country, Two Systems Taiwan Proposal" (Full Text)]. CRNTT.com. 2019-08-18. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
External links edit
- Official website