Tsai Ing-Wen Elected As Taiwan’s First-Ever Female President
Taiwan made history on Saturday after electing their first-ever female president, Tsai Ing-wen. The 59-year-old former law professor is the current chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the party's presidential bet in 2012 and 2016.
BBC News reported Saturday that the new president, who will be taking the office in May, calls on China to respect the democracy of Taiwan and that both parties must guarantee that there are no provocations.
"We will work towards maintaining the status quo for peace and stability across the Taiwan strait in order to bring the greatest benefits and well-being to the Taiwanese people," Tsai said, as noted by Al Jazeera Saturday.
She went on, "I also want to emphasize that both of sides of the strait have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interactions that are based on dignity and reciprocity. We must ensure that no provocation or accidents take place."
In her victory address, Tsai also said her administration "will put the political polarization behind" and to "look forward to the arrival of a new era of politics in Taiwan," as per The Guardian Saturday.
"For me this is not just about an election victory. The results today tell me that the people want to see a government more willing to listening to the people, a government that is more transparent and accountable and a government that is more capable of leading us past our current challenges and taking care of those in need."
"They tell me that the people expect a government that can lead this country into the next generation and a government that is steadfast in protecting this country's sovereignty," she added.
Tsai won a landslide victory against Eric Chu of the ruling Nationalist Party who accepted his defeat and told his supporters, "We have failed the expectations of all voters."
Chu was elected as the chairman of the ruling Kuomintang in January 2015. However, after the recent election, the 54-year-old politician said he will step down as the head of the party.
