A Study of Taiwan’s Legislative Electoral System and the Transformation of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (2001~2016)

Established in 2001, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) has aimed for political stabilization. According to the party program, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) should be positioned in the middle of the ideological spectrum compared to the KMT and the DPP. Meanwhile, during the preparations for the party, the party chairman also claimed that Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) would be an intermediate power for political stabilization, and they further elaborated that Taiwan First did not mean Taiwan independence, which apparently indicated that Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) is scrupulous about sensitive issues concerning independence from or unification with mainland China. However, at the end of 2001, when the 5th election for legislative representatives was held, most people thought that Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) upheld the idea of Taiwan independence. Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) was also been labeled as a party which stands for Taiwan independence by general public. Afterwards, in 2002, when Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) was celebrating its birthday, rectifying the name of Taiwan was further included in the party program of Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU). At the end of 2004, when the 6th election for legislative representatives was held, rectifying the name of Taiwan and drawing up a new constitution were adopted as the major campaign. Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) was tilted to extreme left over the ideological spectrum by claiming immediate independence for Taiwan. Owing to the single-nontransferable voting system then implemented as the electoral system for legislative representatives, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) had the incentive to conduct transformation. Meanwhile, the fact that the DPP came to power and started to shift towards the middle over the ideological spectrum was also one of the major causes that led to the transformation of Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU). In 2005, when the reforms on the electoral system for legislative representatives were passed, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) gradually changed its political routes and strategies. What was most noted was the transformation conducted in 2007 when Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) claimed a route along the middle but slightly leftward, vowed to protections of the middle classes and disadvantaged groups, and further represented that declaration of Taiwan independence would be unnecessary, because Taiwan has been a sovereign state, we should pursue for normalization as a sovereign state. With significant changes to its position over the ideological spectrum, as a politically neutral party leaning slightly leftwards, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) attempted to break down stereotypes of Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) among the constituents. The transformation conducted this time was also one of the results of the changes of the DPP’s shift over the ideological spectrum besides new electoral system for legislative representatives.