Monday, March 24, 2008 | 12:00 AM EDT - 12:00 AM EDT
The National Committee convened a conference call program for its members on the morning of March 24, to discuss the outcome of the March 22 Taiwan presidential election. While the election of KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou was not a surprise, his large margin of victory was. The KMT, with its control of the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan, as well as many local governments, is now in a strong position to implement its agenda. The defeated DPP, on the other hand, will need to determine if the party needs a new ideological approach in order to be relevant or if it should return to a purer version of its fundamental values; this process will take time and may leave the DPP paralyzed for the next several years.
With Ma’s election, the PRC sees a better cross-Strait situation than it has in the past 10 years. However, it will need to give Ma some rewards if he to build momentum for improving cross-Strait relations; mutual trust has been substantially weakened over the last years and needs to be rebuilt.