![]() ![]() 63% believed that “democracy was always preferable.”.63% were satisfied with the way democracy worked in Taiwan.68% thought that Taiwan was a democracy, though some thought it had “minor problems.”.76% believed that democracy is capable of solving problems in society.84% thought that “democracy is suitable for our country.”.88% supported the idea that democracy is still the best form of government, whatever its problems.The following is the set of responses in the 2014 “wave,” the last one to be done, in declining levels of positivity: The Asian Barometer Survey has conducted several surveys of public attitudes that probe the degree of satisfaction about Taiwan’s democracy in various ways. ![]() In the World Values Survey in 2012, 40 to 60% of Taiwan expressed confidence in the central government, civil service, armed forces, and the courts, but rated the press at 28.4%, the Legislative Yuan (LY, the parliament) at 27.6%, and political parties at 22.4%. Public views concerning the political systemĭespite all these favorable attributes, the island’s public has decidedly mixed views about their democratic system. Polling organizations facilitate a permanent plebiscite on leaders and government policies. Civil society organizations have proliferated and pursue their objectives seriously. The KMT leads the Blue camp and the DPP the Green camp (named for the colors of their party flags). 2 Each is supported by small parties and groupings, producing two political camps. The party system is institutionalized, with two large, distinctive parties - the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). There have been three presidential transfers of power, an indicator of democratic consolidation. In presidential races, turnout usually exceeds 70%. Elections are free, fair, and highly competitive. The State Department’s annual report of human rights practices says that civil and political rights and the rule of law are well protected. government officials regularly praise the island’s political progress. Its transition from authoritarian rule to a representative, electoral system was gradual and peaceful. It was a poster child for the global “third wave” of democratization that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. Generally, Taiwan gets high marks for its democracy. Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, John L. A failure to perform well would be a tragedy. So, the stakes for Taiwan’s democracy are high. The most challenging issue is China and its ambitions regarding Taiwan. Taiwan’s economy is maturing young people lack employment opportunities the population is aging and the birth rate is very low. Another reason is that the issues to be addressed are not easy. They can block what they oppose but are unable to solve the problems that provoked their action in the first place. Periodically, social and political forces seek to circumvent the institutions of representative government (via mass protests, for example). ![]() Selecting the president and legislature on a majoritarian basis fosters a degree of polarization and complicates the crafting of policy compromises. This is partly because of a set of structural factors. When it comes to performance, however, the political system does not do so well. The public strongly supports democracy in principle and by and large approves the island’s system in practice. Taiwan has gotten high marks when it comes to holding clean elections and protecting political rights. ![]()
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