CALD and LI conduct joint election mission; celebrate DPP victory

“Coming to Taiwan is like coming home” – CALD Chairperson
CALD and LI conduct joint election mission; celebrate DPP victory

“For us, Liberals and Democrats who passionately advocate for freedom, human rights and the rule of law, Taiwan is home.”

Mardi Seng, chairperson of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and a former senator from Cambodia, officially opened CALD’s joint Taiwan election mission with Liberal International (LI) with these words during the welcome dinner on 10 January 2024. “Taiwan has become a model for us who also aspire a democratic, secured and prosperous future for our own people”, he added.

Seng led the delegation together with Prof. Karl-Heinz Paque, deputy president of LI and chairperson of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).  “Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in the world”, he said, while also commending the “highly professional, actively working liberal party in Taiwan” – the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The DPP made history in the recently concluded elections by winning a third consecutive term in the presidential elections – an unprecedented feat since Taiwan transitioned to a democracy with competitive elections. DPP’s presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, obtained 40.1% of the total votes cast, while Koumintang’s (KMT) Hou Yu-ih and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) got 33.5% and 26.5% respectively.  In the 113-seat Legislative Yuan, no single party got a majority with the KMT getting 52 seats, the DPP has 51, TPP with 8, and the last 2 being independents.

After the results became known, CALD and LI released a joint statement commending the historic election result for the DPP.  CALD also sent separate congratulatory letters to President-Elect Lai and Vice President-Elect Bi-khim Hsiao. Ms. Hsiao, who previously served as Taiwan’s ambassador to the United States, is also a former CALD chairperson and secretary general, apart from being an LI vice president.

Apart from greeting the president-elect and vice president-elect, the joint CALD-LI delegation also met with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, where issues of disinformation, artificial intelligence, trade agreements, and democratic progress were discussed. “Taiwan has been a role model for us”, said Seng in his address to the president. “We admire your leadership, strength and creativity in engaging various sectors, particularly women and the youth.”

Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun also received the joint delegation in the parliament. Prof. Paque, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said, “Our journey to Taiwan is a very important one. This country – Taiwan — is a beacon of democracy.  What this country has achieved in the last 30 years is a shining example of transforming a country from an authoritarian regime into a full-scale democracy.”      

The CALD and LI delegates also had productive discussions with the FNF Global Innovation Hub, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the International Republican Institute during the mission.

With the victory of DPP in Taiwan, liberals and democrats are off to a good start in a year where more than half of the world’s population are going to the polls.