Taiwan’s new kingmaker holds the key to war and peace

A minority political group in Taiwan, which now controls eight key seats in the Legislative Yuan, is demanding reform of the lawmaking body as a precondition for partnership with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

After the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a third consecutive four-year term at the January 13 election, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) said on Monday that it is open to working with other parties on individual topics while stressing that its cooperation will be based on reason, not ideology.

The TPP, led by former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, said the 113-member Legislative Yuan should undergo reform to increase transparency and improve its legislative procedures.

The TPP has big bargaining chips because neither the DPP nor the Kuomintang (KMT), the biggest opposition political party, won majority control of the Legislative Yuan. The DPP’s Lai Ching-te won the presidency with 40.1% of the vote, outpacing the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih who won 33.5%.

If the DPP wants Yu Shyi-kun, the Legislative Yuan’s incumbent head, to renew his term, it will have to satisfy the TPP’s demands before the law-making body elects its new president and vice president on February 1. Otherwise, the KMT’s Han Kuo-yu will most likely head the legislature.

Sue Tzu-chiao, a professor of political science at Taiwan’s Soochow University, said the TPP is closer to the KMT than the DPP in political ideology but it is still possible that the TPP and DPP can form an alliance.

He speculated that the two parties may be able to compromise on certain issues on a case-by-case basis, especially if the DPP is willing to share certain government positions with the TPP. In fact, TPP leader Ko told the media before the elections that his party