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Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned on Saturday as leader of the ruling Progressive Democratic Party (DPP) after suffering massive defeats in major mid-term elections his chances of reelection in 2020.
The Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition in favor of Beijing, progressed in the face of growing pressure from China on the island.
Taiwan is still waiting for the outcome of a well-attended referendum on same-sex marriage, as activists fearing a victory for conservative "family-friendly" activists would go back on the island's reputation as a precursor to the equality of marriage.
Tsai and his Progressive Democratic Party (DPP) have been confronted with a growing response to domestic reforms as well as the deterioration of their relations with China, which still considers Taiwan autonomous as part of its territory. and must be reunited.
Tsai told the press that she would assume "full responsibility" for the defeat as she resigned from the party presidency.
The KMT, which oversaw an unprecedented thaw with Beijing before Tsai took office in 2016, has won 15 of 22 city and county seats, compared to only six in the elections.
The PDP, which had 13 seats, declared victory on just six and lost its traditional bastion of Kaohsiung City for the first time in 20 years.
The seat of the mayor of Taipei is yet to be announced.
Beijing stepped up pressure on Taiwan under Tsai, stepped up military maneuvers, poached diplomatic allies and managed to convince international companies to put Taiwan on China's list.
The PDP is traditionally independenceist and Tsai refused to recognize Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of the "One China", unlike its KMT predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou.
Prior to the vote, Tsai and PDP officials repeatedly stated their belief that China had mingled with the election preparations through a campaign of "false information", which Beijing has denied.
The KMT – which lost power and its majority in parliament two years ago while the public feared to be too close to Beijing – called the polls a vote of no confidence with regard to Tsai , with promises to revive the economy and promote peace relations with China.
– The future of Tsai –
Some analysts said the defeat pushed Tsai out of the presidential bid in 2020.
But others said she could still run, in the absence of an obvious successor.
Observers believe that pension cuts and labor market reforms have angered MPs, including reducing the number of holidays, as well as fears that tensions with Beijing will hurt local businesses.
"Defeat is definitely hurting Tsai's chances in 2020," said Shih Cheng-feng, a political analyst at Taiwan's Dong Hwa National University, who attributed the results to "widespread public discontent" over the reforms. interior.
The votes in 10 referendums that were also on the ballot were still counted late Saturday and included pro and anti-gay marriage proposals.
A historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage still needs to be implemented and LGBT groups fear that a referendum round won by conservative activists will weaken their recently won rights.
Family-friendly groups have introduced a referendum calling for legally defined marriage between a man and a woman, and for same-sex unions to be governed by a separate law.
Proponents of gay marriage have proposed an opposing vote that marriage rights should be equal.
The complex ballots also included a referendum on the attempt to change the name under which Taiwan participated in international sporting events that have already angered China.
Referendums are an added puzzle for Tsai and the DPP.
Tsai presented the local elections as a way of "telling the world" that Taiwan would not bow to Beijing.
The so-called "fake news" social media publications include photos of abandoned bananas and pineapples, proving that the government does not care about farmers, as well as publications suggesting that Taiwan has not managed to bring out its citizens from Japan after the typhoon. – A senior Taiwanese official in Osaka has committed suicide after the news.
Taiwan's investigative bureau also said it was investigating China's influence over the elections by funding candidates for election campaigns.
