Taiwan People's Party

On 1 August 2019, Mayor of Taipei Ko Wen-je announced a new political party.{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Ching-min |last2=Hetherington |first2=William |date=2 August 2019 |title=Ko launches 'Taiwan people's party' |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/08/02/2003719764 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801211916/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/08/02/2003719764 |archive-date=1 August 2019 |access-date=2 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times}} He said that the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) seeks to "become an alternative" to both the Pan-Green Coalition headed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT)-influenced Pan-Blue Coalition.{{cite news |last1=Teng |first1=Pei-ju |date=1 August 2019 |title=Taipei mayor to form political party, seek legislative power |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3756433 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801160827/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3756433 |archive-date=1 August 2019 |access-date=1 August 2019 |work=Taiwan News}}

At a preliminary meeting on 6 August, Ko was elected chairman of the party.{{cite news |last1=Everington |first1=Keoni |date=6 August 2019 |title=Taipei Mayor founds Taiwan People's Party, elected chairman |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3759723 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806170303/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3759723 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |access-date=7 August 2019 |work=Taiwan News}} As required by the Ministry of the Interior, the Taiwan People's Party conducted its founding assembly at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center later that day.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |date=7 August 2019 |title=Ko elected chairman at TPP founding |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/08/07/2003720058 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806210858/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/08/07/2003720058 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |access-date=7 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times}} It was Ko's 60th birthday. Seventy-two of the 111 founding party members were in attendance.{{cite news |last1=Liang |first1=Pei-chi |last2=Ku |first2=Chuan |last3=Chen |first3=Yi-hsuan |last4=Yeh |first4=Joseph |date=6 August 2019 |title=Taiwan People's Party formed by Taipei mayor |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201908060012.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806113216/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201908060012.aspx |archive-date=6 August 2019 |access-date=6 August 2019 |agency=Central News Agency (Taiwan)}} The TPP charter permits party members to hold membership status in other political parties.{{Cite news |last=方炳超 |date=2019-08-05 |title=台灣民眾黨成立！允許雙重黨籍、不收黨費，黨章宗旨貫徹「柯文哲理念」 |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E6%B0%91%E7%9C%BE%E9%BB%A8%E6%88%90%E7%AB%8B-%E5%85%81%E8%A8%B1%E9%9B%99%E9%87%8D%E9%BB%A8%E7%B1%8D-%E4%B8%8D%E6%94%B6%E9%BB%A8%E8%B2%BB-%E9%BB%A8%E7%AB%A0%E5%AE%97%E6%97%A8%E8%B2%AB%E5%BE%B9-%E6%9F%AF%E6%96%87%E5%93%B2%E7%90%86%E5%BF%B5-053858635.html |access-date=2025-03-25 |work=The Storm Media}} Many early party members worked for the Taipei City Government or for Ko. Among the TPP's first members were politicians formerly affiliated with the DPP and the KMT, as well as a number of political independents.{{cite news |last1=Hioe |first1=Brian |date=6 August 2019 |title=What does the formation of the Taiwan People's Party mean for the 2020 elections? |url=https://newbloommag.net/2019/08/06/tpp-party-formation/ |access-date=8 August 2019 |work=New Bloom}}

The TPP shares a Chinese-language name with political activist Chiang Wei-shui's now defunct Taiwanese People's Party.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |date=4 August 2019 |title=Ko says party name should only change if it is illegal |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/08/04/2003719896 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803211238/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/08/04/2003719896 |archive-date=3 August 2019 |access-date=4 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times}} The Chiang Wei-shui Cultural Foundation panned the name of Ko's new party, stating that it might cause confusion.{{cite news |last1=Strong |first1=Matthew |date=1 August 2019 |title=The Chiang Wei-shui Cultural Foundation's Statement about Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je forming the "Taiwanese People's Party" |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3756769 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802012311/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3756769 |archive-date=2 August 2019 |access-date=2 August 2019 |work=Taiwan News}} In response, Ko said that he preferred to retain the name unless it was illegal.

Ko stated that the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) would contest the 2020 legislative election,{{cite news |last1=Liang |first1=Pei-chi |last2=Kao |first2=Evelyn |date=1 August 2019 |title=Taipei mayor says his party will give voters more choices |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201908010006.aspx |access-date=1 August 2019 |agency=Central News Agency (Taiwan)}} but that he would not mount an independent bid in the presidential election.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=Ko also decides not to run for president |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/09/18/2003722499 |access-date=18 September 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=18 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918044931/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/09/18/2003722499 |archive-date=18 September 2019 |url-status=live }} He later said that the TPP would nominate a full slate of 34 at-large legislative candidates.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=Ko planning to nominate 34 for legislator-at-large |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/08/08/2003720131 |access-date=8 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=8 August 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |date=8 August 2019 |title=NPP to be most affected by Ko's new party: Huang |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/08/08/2003720132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807181023/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/08/08/2003720132 |archive-date=7 August 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times}} Political scientist Liao Da-chi opined that Ko's Taiwan People's Party would take more votes from supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party in the 2020 election.{{cite news |last1=Ku |first1=Chuan |last2=Chung |first2=Yu-chen |title=New party announced by Taipei mayor a setback to DPP: scholar |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201908010022.aspx |access-date=1 August 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=1 August 2019}} The TPP nominated its first eight candidates for single-member constituencies on 22 September 2019.{{cite news |last1=Liang |first1=Pei-chi |last2=Yeh |first2=Joseph |title=Ko's TPP nominates 8 regional legislative candidates for 2020 |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201909220008.aspx |access-date=23 September 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=22 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922170233/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201909220008.aspx |archive-date=22 September 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=TPP names nominees for legislative elections |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/09/23/2003722772 |access-date=23 September 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=23 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922170234/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/09/23/2003722772 |archive-date=22 September 2019 |url-status=live }} During a second round of legislative nominations on 20 October 2019, Ko stated that the TPP sought to prevent a single political party from winning a legislative majority. The TPP described this tactic as "pushing the pan-blue and pan-green camps to the side to allow for the people to be in the center."{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=New candidates join TPP as Ko unveils its goal |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/10/21/2003724356 |access-date=21 October 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=21 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020220815/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/10/21/2003724356 |archive-date=20 October 2019 |url-status=live }} In November 2019, the TPP announced a party list of 29 at-large legislative candidates.{{cite news |last1=Liang |first1=Pei-chi |last2=Hsu |first2=Elizabeth |title=2020 Elections: Taipei labor chief tops TPP legislator-at-large list |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201911190009.aspx |access-date=19 November 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119113005/https://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201911190009.aspx |archive-date=19 November 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=JAN. 11 ELECTIONS: TPP unveils legislator-at-large list with 29 names |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/11/20/2003726181 |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119222349/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/11/20/2003726181 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |url-status=live }} In December 2019, the TPP's political goals grew in scale, as Ko stated that the party aimed to be the largest represented in the Legislative Yuan.{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Ching-min |title=2020 Elections: TPP aims to become largest party: Ko |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/12/28/2003728320 |access-date=29 December 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229043137/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/12/28/2003728320 |archive-date=29 December 2019 |url-status=live }} The TPP won five at-large seats in the 2020 legislative election, becoming the third largest party in the legislature.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=2020 Elections: Taiwan People's Party tops among 'third force' parties |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/01/12/2003729111 |access-date=12 January 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=12 January 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=I-chia |title=2020 Elections: TPP 'revolution' is just beginning, Ko Wen-je says |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/01/13/2003729170 |access-date=13 January 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=13 January 2020}}

Wu Yi-jheng of the TPP ran in the 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election. However, he finished with only 4.06% of the vote, a distant third to Chen Chi-mai of the DPP (70.03%) and Li Mei-jhen of the KMT (25.90%).

The Taiwan People's Party nominated Ko to run in the 2024 presidential election{{cite news |last1=Pan |first1=Jason |date=2023-11-25 |title=KMT, TPP picks for VP reveal intentions: critics |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/11/25/2003809684 |website=Taipei Times}}{{cite news |date=2023-11-24 |last=鄭惠元 |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E6%9F%AF%E6%96%87%E5%93%B211%E9%BB%9E%E7%99%BB%E8%A8%98%E5%AE%A3%E5%B8%83%E5%89%AF%E6%89%8B-%E9%BB%A8%E5%85%A7%E5%82%B3%E4%BA%BA%E9%81%B8%E5%8F%AF%E8%83%BD%E6%98%AF%E5%90%B3%E6%AC%A3%E7%9B%88-001955034.html |title=快訊／柯文哲確定副手吳欣盈 11點將一起登記參選 |language=zh-Hant-TW |access-date=2024-01-14}} and contested the legislative election. There were efforts to run a joint opposition ticket in the presidential race with the KMT's Hou Yu-ih, but talks ultimately collapsed.{{Cite news |last=Wu |first=Sarah |last2=Lee |first2=Yimou |date=2023-11-23 |title=Taiwan opposition parties name VP candidates after unity talks collapse |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-opposition-parties-name-vp-candidates-after-unity-talks-collapse-2023-11-24/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |work=Reuters}}{{Cite news |last=Wingfield-Hayes |first=Rupert |date=2023-11-23 |title=Taiwan's opposition drama ends with no deal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67471139 |access-date=2025-03-24 |work=BBC}} Ko nominated Cynthia Wu, an at-large legislator and businesswoman who served in the 10th Legislative Yuan, as his running mate on 24 November.{{cite news |first1=Sean |last1=Lin |title=Election 2024/TPP's Ko registers presidential candidacy, names lawmaker Wu as running mate |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202311240006 |access-date=24 November 2023 |agency=Central News Agency |date=24 November 2023}} The TPP nominated the maximum number of 34 at-large legislative candidates and 10 legislative candidates for single-member constituencies, concentrated mostly in northern Taiwan.{{cite news |date=2023-11-26 |title=

315 legislative candidates have registered |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/11/26/2003809728 |publisher=Taipei Times |work=Central News Agency}}{{cite web |last=李俊毅 |title=整理包/ 2024立委大戰 藍綠白參選名單、選區一次看 |url=https://ctinews.com/news/items/D0xd302RaY |publisher=中天新聞網 |date=2023-09-14 |language=zh-Hant-TW}} Ko championed himself as a "middle road" between the KMT and the DPP, attracting young voters who were dissatisfied with the "big two parties".{{cite news |title=Ko Wen-je: the provocative outsider who could tip Taiwan election balance |last1=Hawkings |first1=Amy |website=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/10/ko-wen-je-the-provocative-outsider-who-could-tip-taiwan-election-balance |date=2024-01-10}} According to The Diplomat, there is a shift recently in political stance closer to Pan-Blue than to initially Pan-Green.{{cite news |last1=Hioe |first1=Brian |last2=Nachman | first2=Lev |title=From Green to Blue: The Political History of Ko Wen-je |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/11/from-green-to-blue-the-political-history-of-ko-wen-je/ |date=28 November 2023 |access-date=29 May 2024 |agency=The Diplomat | quote=...An incident that crystallized the growing pan-Green consensus against Ko was his defense of his exchanges with China – even after student demonstrators protesting events held as part of the exchanges were attacked on the campus of National Taiwan University by gangsters with ties to pro-unification groups in September 2017...By 2018, Ko was seen as more pan-Blue than pan-Green...The TPP branded itself as being above Blue-Green politics. Despite such claims, Ko recruited heavily from the pan-Blue established politicians to form his new party. His number two and the TPP’s candidate to succeed Ko as Taipei mayor in 2022, Huang Shan-shan, was even previously a member of the pro-unification New Party... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128142200/https://thediplomat.com/2023/11/from-green-to-blue-the-political-history-of-ko-wen-je/ | archive-date=28 November 2023}} On the other hand, Time and CNN observe the party as remaining centrist, positioning itself as a stark contrast to both the KMT and the DPP.{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Charlie |title=Taiwan Wants Peace and Economic Stability—Now It Could Hinge on a High-Stakes Choice |url=https://time.com/6553749/taiwan-election-economy-china-democracy-choice/ |website=Time |access-date=14 June 2024 |date=10 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613105651/https://time.com/6553749/taiwan-election-economy-china-democracy-choice |archive-date=13 June 2024 |url-status=live |quote=According to last permitted polling before the vote, the China-skeptic incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Vice-President William Lai holds a slender lead over the more Beijing-friendly Nationalists, or KMT, with the upstart centrist Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in third place.}}{{cite web |last1=de Acosta |first1=Rosa |last2=de Shveda |first2=Krystina |last3=Chacon |first3=Marco |title=A visual guide to Taiwan's high-stakes presidential election |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/12/world/taiwan-president-election-dg-intl-hnk/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=14 June 2024 |date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221231842/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/12/world/taiwan-president-election-dg-intl-hnk/index.html |archive-date=21 February 2024 |url-status=live| quote=Taiwan People's Party (TPP), a centrist alternative party founded only in 2019.}}

Ko received 26.46% of the popular vote in the presidential election, placing in third place. The TPP won eight at-large legislative seats, gaining three seats in total.{{cite web| url=https://vote2024.cec.gov.tw/zh-TW/indexP.html | title=第16任總統副總統及第11屆立法委員選舉 |publisher=中央選舉委員會 }} It was the TPP's greatest electoral result since its inception, preventing both the KMT and the DPP from obtaining a legislative majority.{{cite news |last1=Hsiao |first1=Alison |date=2024-01-13 |title=No party gets majority in Legislature; KMT wins most seats |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202401130014 |publisher=Focus Taiwan}}

The party charter states that the party's formal abbreviated name in Chinese is {{Lang-zh|t=民眾黨|p=Mínzhòngdǎng|labels=no}}.{{Cite web |last1=Fan |first1=Shih-ping |date=15 August 2019 |title=TPP off to a disappointing start |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2019/08/15/2003720497 |access-date=16 August 2019 |work=Taipei Times}} The party colors are turquoise and white. The first signifies an end to the longtime blue–green political divide in Taiwan. The color white represents the "white force" of Ko's allies, a group that supports open and transparent government.{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Tzu-ti |date=16 September 2019 |title=Taiwan People's Party website hacked in cyberattack |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3777591 |access-date=16 September 2019 |work=Taiwan News}}

In 2023, the Taiwan New Homeland Think Tank Association was established as a TPP-affiliated think tank.{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Ching-yu |last2=Madjar |first2=Kayleigh |date=21 January 2023 |title=Ko to visit US for TPP, head think tank |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/01/21/2003792958 |access-date=21 January 2023 |work=Taipei Times}}

While public opinion of Ko suffered due to corruption investigations, TPP as a whole experienced only a minor decline in support in September 2024.{{cite news |last1=Bilinski |first1=Hanna |title=Public opinion of Ko Wen-je declines, but TPP reputation remains intact |url=https://en.rti.org.tw/news/view/id/2011725 |publisher=Radio Taiwan International |date=16 September 2024}}

A list of chairpersons since 2019.

; Notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

• Ko Wen-je, former mayor of Taipei, founding chairman of the Taiwan People's Party.
• Tsai Pi-ru, Taichung City Government consultant, former chief of staff of Taipei, former member of Legislative Yuan.
• Huang Shan-shan, member of Legislative Yuan, former deputy mayor of Taipei.
• Ann Kao, former member of Legislative Yuan, mayor of Hsinchu, sentenced for corruption.
• Chen Fu-hai, magistrate of Kinmen County.
• Huang Kuo-chang, caucus leader in the Legislative Yuan, former executive leader of the New Power Party.
• Andy Chiu, deputy mayor of Hsinchu, former caucus leader in the Legislative Yuan.
• Jang Chyi-lu, an economist, former member of Legislative Yuan.
• Tsai Ping-kun, former deputy mayor of Taipei.
• {{Ill|Hsieh Li-kung|zh|謝立功}}, former director-general of the National Immigration Agency, left the Kuomintang for the Taiwan People's Party on 31 May 2020.{{cite web |last1=Wang |first1=Chao-yu |last2=Liu |first2=Kuan-ting |last3=Wang |first3=Hung-kuo |last4=Chiang |first4=Yi-ching |title=Former National Immigration Agency head to leave KMT for TPP |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202005310009 |agency=Central News Agency |access-date=31 May 2020 |date=31 May 2020}}
• Chen Wan-hui, former member of Legislative Yuan.
• Cynthia Wu, Shin Kong Group heiress, former member of Legislative Yuan and vice-presidential candidate.
• {{Ill|Wu Yi-jheng|zh|吳益政}}, former Kaohsiung city councillor and 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election candidate.
• Huang Ching-yin, former deputy spokesperson for the {{ill|Taipei City Government Secretariat|zh|臺北市政府秘書處}}, Taipei City Councillor, Taipei City Constituency I.
• Mạch Ngọc Trân, Taiwan’s first Vietnamese member of Legislative Yuan.

• List of major liberal parties considered left

{{reflist}}

• {{official website}}

{{Taiwanese political parties}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2019 establishments in Taiwan

Category:Centre-left parties in Asia

Category:Left-wing populism

Category:Liberal parties in Asia

Category:Populist parties

Category:Social liberal parties

Category:Political parties established in 2019

Category:Political parties in Taiwan