TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government faces a test of confidence at local elections this weekend as President Tsai Ing-wen grapples with rising pressure from…
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government faces a test of confidence at local elections this weekend as President Tsai Ing-wen grapples with rising pressure from China and criticism that her reform agenda has slowed.
Saturday’s mayoral and magisterial elections could also be a bellwether for the 2020 presidential election, just over a year away, say observers.
China has become increasingly concerned that Tsai wants to push for formal independence and has ramped up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the democratic island.
Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as part of China and has vowed to use force if necessary to keep the island.
In a post on Facebook, Tsai has urged people to “vote for Taiwan’s democracy” and rallied support for her party in a bid to “boost the energy of reform and progress”.
More than 11,000 seats are up for grabs in municipalities, counties, townships and villages, with the southern city of Kaohsiung a key battleground for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has held the city for two decades.
