Unless there is a major surprise, next year’s presidential election will be fought between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), more than likely a faceoff between DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and KMT Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱). These two women, one Taiwanese and one Chinese, are to run for the presidency, one representing the country’s reconstruction, and one representing the colonial system.
Tsai is not a typical DPP member. She has an academic background and a lot of political experience, having held various positions during the leadership of former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).