2008-05-19

Tsai Ing-wen elected as party chair



The Democratic Progressive Party held its 12th chairperson elections on May 18th, with Dr. Tsai Ing-wen emerging as the winning candidate.

Chairman Frank Hsieh held a press conference after the election with the two candidates, Tsai Ing-wen and Koo Kwang-ming. Chairman Hsieh announced that nearly 130,000 party members cast their ballots, a voter turnout which exceeded 51%. He also expressed the highest respect for Koo, who displayed a strong sense of commitment to the party despite the fact that he was already 82 years old. Chairman Hsieh said that as the election had successfully concluded, the party must look towards the future and rally around the new chairwoman.
Tsai began by thanking Chairman Hsieh for making the commitment to conduct a successful election. She also thanked Koo Kwang-min and Trong Tsai, two of her competitors during the election process, for their valuable advice. Trong Tsai dropped out of the race prior to the election.
Tsai said that although there were disagreements among the candidates, they left no wounds which would prevent the party from coming together. She added that although the elections have just ended, the party’s challenges are just beginning. On May 20th, the DPP will become the opposition party in Taiwan, a party without government resources, and all party members must take this into account.
Ing-wen Tsai stated that it is the responsibility of the Democratic Progressive Party to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty, consolidate its democratic institutions, and uphold the principles of social equality and justice. She is confident that the DPP can regain the trust of the people, revive its ideals, strengthen the skills of staff, and deepen DPP’s grassroots support. Although the party is currently in a difficult place, she is confident that the Democratic Progressive Party will endure.
Election Result Table
12th Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Elections: Official Results
May 18, 2008 Results Voter Turnout Rate: 51.62%
Elected Candidate


Candidates
Koo Kwang-min
Ing-wen Tsai
Trong Tsai
Votes Received
Votes Received
Votes Received
Taipei City
7209
7406
533
Kaohsiung City
6582
8573
1029
Taipei County
7336
11766
1116
Ilan County
1135
2191
155
Taoyuan County
1490
4524
350
Hsinchu County
126
790
47
Miaoli County
338
968
89
Taichung County
2709
3383
339
Changhwa County
2309
1694
243
Nantou County
346
456
45
Yunlin County
1074
1441
132
Chiayi County
918
2802
144
Tainan County
3519
4368
440
Kaohsiung County
3073
8045
866
Pingtung County
1321
4609
310
Hualien County
937
737
63
Taitung County
125
340
29
Penghu County
298
202
25
Keelung City
232
493
24
Hsinchu City
76
449
8
Taichung City
2430
2799
214
Chiayi City
1321
490
35
Tainan City
3224
4242
340
Kinmen County
56
317
17
Laborers Chapter
366
431
46
Overseas Chapter
376
321
7
Total (Percentage of Votes Received)
48926 (37.81%)
73837 (57.06%)
6646 (5.05%)



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