Coalition Politics: A New Phenomenon in Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan politics has entered a new and interesting phase since the 1995 Legislative Yuan election. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party of China) commands only a tiny majority in the national legislature, and with its traditional lack of party discipline, opposition parties are exploring the possibility of forming a coalition to challenge the KMT’s near- total domination of the executive branch. Since the traditional emphasis on the issue of unification vs. independence has gradually declined in its importance, “size principle” has become the most effective tool to understand and analyze possible coalition patterns among Taiwan’s major political groups.