Editing Democratic Progressive Party (section)

==History==
The DPP's roots were in the [[Tangwai movement|''Tangwai'' movement]], which formed in opposition to the [[Kuomintang]]'s [[One-party state|one-party]] [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian rule]] under the "[[Dang Guo|party-state]]" system during [[Martial law in Taiwan|martial law]]. This movement culminated in the formation of the DPP as an alternative, but still illegal, party on 28 September 1986 by eighteen organizing members at [[Grand Hotel (Taipei)|Grand Hotel Taipei]], with a total of 132 people joining the party in attendance. The new party members contested the [[1986 Taiwan legislative election|1986 election]] as "nonpartisan" candidates since competing parties would remain illegal until the following year.  These early members of the party, like the ''tangwai'', drew heavily from the ranks of family members and defense lawyers of political prisoners, as well as intellectuals and artists who had spent time abroad. These individuals were strongly committed to political change toward democracy and freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lu|first1=Lu Hsin-hui|last2=Kuo|first2=Chung-han|title=DPP should clarify its cross-strait policy: founding member|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201609280026.aspx|access-date=29 September 2016|agency=Central News Agency|date=28 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001032028/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201609280026.aspx|archive-date=1 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Chung|first1=Li-hua|last2=Chin|first2=Jonathan|title=DPP members say party must discuss core values|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/09/30/2003656223|access-date=30 September 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=30 September 2016|archive-date=30 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930172744/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/09/30/2003656223|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''tangwai'' were not a unified political unit and consisted of factions which carried over into the early DPP.  At its founding the DPP consisted of three factions: the Kang group, a moderate faction led by [[Kang Ning-hsiang]], [[New Tide faction]], consisting of intellectuals and social activists led by [[Wu Nai-ren]] and [[Chiou I-jen]], and the Progress Faction led by [[Lin Cheng-chieh]], a ''[[waishengren]]'' opposed to independence.  Moderates would later coalesce around the Formosa faction, founded by those arrested during the [[Formosa Incident]] after their release from prison.  In the early days of the party, the Formosa faction focused on winning elections by wielding the star power of its leaders, while New Tide would focus on ideological mobilization and developing grassroots support for social movements.  As a result, the Formosa faction would become more moderate, often bending to public opinion, while New Tide would become more ideologically cohesive.  By 1988 the Formosa Faction would dominate high-level positions within the party.<ref>{{cite book|author1-link=Shelley Rigger  |last1=Rigger |first1=Shelley |title=From Opposition to Power: Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party |date=1 May 2001 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |isbn=978-1-55587-969-3| pages=21–27}}</ref>

The party did not at the outset give explicit support to an [[Taiwan independence movement|independent Taiwanese national identity]], partially because moderates such as [[Hsu Hsin-liang]] were concerned that such a move that could have invited a violent crackdown by the Kuomintang and alienate voters, but also because some members such as [[Lin Cheng-chieh]] supported unification.  Partially due to their waning influence within the party and partially due to their ideological commitment, between 1988 and 1991 the New Tide Faction would push the independence issue, bolstered by the return of pro-independence activists from overseas who were previously barred from Taiwan.  In 1991, in order to head off the New Tide, party chairman [[Hsu Hsin-liang]] of the moderate Formosa faction agreed to include language in the party charter which advocated for the drafting of a new constitution as well as declaration of a new [[Republic of Taiwan]] via referendum (which resulted in many pro-unification members leaving the party).<ref name="rigger27-32">{{cite book |last1=Rigger |first1=Shelley |title=From Opposition to Power: Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party |date=1 May 2001 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |isbn=978-1-55587-969-3 |pages=27–35}}</ref><ref name="1991article">{{cite journal |last1=Fell |first1=Dafydd |author1-link=Dafydd Fell |title=Measuring and Explaining Party Change in Taiwan: 1991–2004 |journal=Journal of East Asian Studies |date=2005 |volume=5 |issue=1 |page=112 |doi=10.1017/S1598240800006275 |jstor=23417889 |s2cid=153572606}}</ref>  However, the party would quickly begin to walk back on this language, and eventually in 1999 the party congress passed a [[Resolution on Taiwan's Future|resolution]] that Taiwan was already an independent country, under the official name "Republic of China", and that any constitutional changes should be approved by the people via referendum, while emphasizing the use of the name "Taiwan" in international settings.<ref name="resolution">{{cite web |title=DPP Party Convention |url=http://www.taiwandc.org/nws-9920.htm |access-date=18 December 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610173456/http://www.taiwandc.org/nws-9920.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite its lack of electoral success, the pressure that the DPP created on the ruling KMT via its demands are widely credited in the political reforms of the 1990s, most notably the [[direct popular election]] of Republic of China's [[President of the Republic of China|president]] and all representatives in the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]] and [[Legislative Yuan]], as well as the ability to openly discuss events from the past such as the [[February 28 Incident]] and its long aftermath of [[White Terror (Taiwan)|martial law]], and space for a greater variety of political views and advocacy.  Once the DPP had representation in the [[Legislative Yuan]], the party used the legislature as a forum to challenge the ruling KMT.

In 1996, DPP Chairman [[Shih Ming-teh]] united with the [[New Party (Taiwan)|New Party]] to run for the President of the Legislative Yuan, but lost by one vote. The vote that was missing was legislator [[Chang Chin-cheng]]'s failure to vote for Shih. As a result, Chang was expelled from the DPP.

Post-democratization, the DPP shifted their focus to anti-corruption issues, in particular regarding KMT connections to organized crime as well as "party assets" illegally acquired from the government during martial law.<ref name="rigger-39-49">{{cite book |last1=Rigger |first1=Shelley |title=Taiwan's Democracy Challenged: The Chen Shui-bian Years |date=22 June 2016 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |isbn=978-1-62637-404-1 |page=42}}</ref>  Meanwhile, factions continued to form within the DPP as a mechanism for coalition-building within the party; notably, future President [[Chen Shui-bian]] would form the [[Justice Alliance faction]].

===2000–2008: in minority government===
[[File:Chen Shui-bian from VOA.jpg|thumb|right|Former President Chen Shui-bian, the first DPP [[President of the Republic of China|President]] (2000–2008)]]

The DPP won the presidency with the [[2000 Taiwan presidential election|election]] of [[Chen Shui-bian]] in March 2000 with a plurality, due to [[Pan-Blue]] voters splitting their vote between the Kuomintang and independent candidate [[James Soong]], ending 91 years of KMT rule in the Republic of China. Chen softened the party's stance on independence to appeal to moderate voters, appease the United States, and placate China. He also promised not to [[Four Noes and One Without|change the ROC state symbols or declare formal independence]] as long as the [[China|People's Republic of China]] did not attack Taiwan.  Further, he advocated for economic exchange with China as well as the establishment of transportation links.<ref name="rigger-39-49" />

In 2001, the DPP ran an advertisement promoting the party that featured [[Adolf Hitler]] and others in an attempt to encourage young people to engage with politics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yang |first=Meng-yu |date=July 18, 2001 |title=DPP suspends controversial party ad |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_1440000/newsid_1445700/1445723.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803094016/http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_1440000/newsid_1445700/1445723.stm |archive-date=August 3, 2023 |access-date=April 16, 2025 |work=BBC Chinese |language=Chinese}}</ref> The DPP initially responded to criticism from the Israeli and [[German Institute Taipei|German]] representative offices in Taiwan by saying the advertisement was meant to highlight "people who dared to express their opinions," and claimed some had deliberately misrepresented the content. The DPP's then chair [[Frank Hsieh]] later said the advertisement would be retired to avoid causing misunderstanding among [[Victims of Nazi Germany|victims]] of [[Nazism]].  

In 2002, the DPP became the first party other than the KMT to reach a plurality in the Legislative Yuan following the [[2001 Taiwan legislative election|2001 legislative election]]. However, a majority coalition between the KMT, [[People First Party (Republic of China)|People First Party]], and [[New Party (Republic of China)|New Party]] prevented it from taking control of the chamber.  This coalition was at odds with the presidency from the beginning, and led to President Chen's abandonment of the centrist positions that he ran his campaign on.<ref name="rigger-39-49" />

In 2003, Chen announced a campaign to draft a referendum law as well as a new constitution, a move which appealed to the fundamentalist wing of the DPP.  By now, the New Tide faction had begun to favor pragmatic approaches to their pro-independence goals and dominated decision-making positions within the party.  By contrast, grassroots support was divided largely between moderate and fundamentalist wings.  Though Chen's plans for a referendum on a new constitution were scuttled by the legislature, he did manage to include a largely symbolic [[2004 Taiwanese cross-Strait relations referendum|referendum on the PRC military threat]] to coincide with the [[2004 Taiwan presidential election|2004 presidential election]].<ref name="rigger-39-49" />  [[President of the Republic of China|President]] Chen Shui-bian would be narrowly re-elected in 2004 after an [[3-19 shooting incident|assassination attempt]] the day before the election, and in the [[2004 Taiwan legislative election|later legislative election]], the pan-blue coalition opposition retained control of the chamber.

President Chen's moves sparked a debate within the party between fundamentalists and moderates who were concerned that voters would abandon their party.  The fundamentalists won out, and as a result the DPP would largely follow Chen's lead.  The DPP suffered a significant election defeat in nationwide [[2005 Taiwanese local elections|local and county elections in December 2005]], while the pan-blue coalition captured 16 of 23 county and city government offices under the leadership of popular [[Taipei]] mayor and KMT Party Chairman [[Ma Ying-jeou]].  Moderates within the party would blame this loss on the party's fundamentalist turn.<ref name="rigger-39-49" />

The results led to a shake up of the party leadership. [[Su Tseng-chang]] resigned as DPP chairman soon after election results were announced. Su had pledged to step down if the DPP lost either Taipei County or failed to win 10 of the 23 mayor/magistrate positions. Vice President [[Annette Lu]] was appointed acting DPP leader. Presidential Office Secretary-General [[Yu Shyi-kun]] was elected in a [[2006 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election|three-way race]] against legislator [[Chai Trong-rong]] and [[Wong Chin-chu]] with 54.4% of the vote.

Premier [[Frank Hsieh]], DPP election organizer and former mayor of [[Kaohsiung]] twice tendered a verbal resignation immediately following the election, but his resignation was not accepted by President Chen until 17 January 2006 after the DPP chairmanship election had concluded. The former DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang was appointed to replace Hsieh as premier. Hsieh and his cabinet resigned en masse on 24 January to make way for Su and his new cabinet. President Chen had offered the position of Presidential Office Secretary-General (vacated by Su) to the departing premier, but Hsieh declined and left office criticizing President Chen for his tough line on dealing with China.

In 2005, following the passage of the [[Anti-Secession Law]], the Chen administration issued a statement asserting the position that Taiwan's future should be decided by the people on Taiwan only.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Mainland Affairs Council, ROC Executive Yuan |date=29 March 2005 |title=The Official Position of the Republic of China on China's Passing of the Anti-secession (Anti-Separation) Law |url=http://www.mac.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=68048&ctNode=5910&mp=3 |quote=Section II-2: "'The Republic of China is an independent and sovereign state. Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan. Only the 23&nbsp;million citizens of Taiwan may decide on the future of Taiwan.' This statement represents the greatest consensus within Taiwan's society today concerning the issues of national sovereignty and the future of Taiwan. It is also a common position shared by both the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan. A recent opinion poll shows that more than 90% of the people of Taiwan agree with this position. |access-date=16 February 2021 |archive-date=19 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219111550/http://www.mac.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=68048&ctNode=5910&mp=3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Separate identity from China====
On 30 September 2007, the DPP approved a [[Resolution (law)|resolution]] asserting a separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new constitution for a "normal nation". It struck an accommodating tone by advocating general use of "[[Taiwan]]" as the country's name without calling for abandonment of the name Republic of China.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-30-taiwan_N.htm|title=Taiwan party asserts separate identity from China - USATODAY.com|website=usatoday30.usatoday.com|access-date=5 August 2015|archive-date=16 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016030922/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-30-taiwan_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:蔡英文官方元首肖像照.png|thumb|right|250px|[[Tsai Ing-wen]], the second DPP [[President of the Republic of China|President]] (2016–2024) and the leader of the DPP (2008–2022). Tsai is the first female leader of the DPP.]]

===2008–2016: return to opposition===
In the national elections held in early months of 2008, the DPP won less than 25% of the seats (38.2% vote share) in the new Legislative Yuan while its presidential candidate, former [[Kaohsiung]] mayor [[Frank Hsieh]], lost to KMT candidate [[Ma Ying-jeou]] by a wide margin (41.55% vs. 58.45%).  In May, the DPP elected moderate [[Tsai Ing-wen]] as their new leader over fundamentalist [[Koo Kwang-ming]].<ref name="rigger-39-49" />  Tsai became the first female leader of the DPP and the first female leader to lead a major party in Taiwan.

The first months since backed to the opposition were dominated by press coverage of the travails of [[Chen Shui-bian]] and his wife [[Wu Shu-jen]]. On 15 August 2008, Chen resigned from the DPP and apologized: "Today I have to say sorry to all of the DPP members and supporters. I let everyone down, caused you humiliation and failed to meet your expectations. My acts have caused irreparable damage to the party. I love the DPP deeply and am proud of being a DPP member. To express my deepest regrets to all DPP members and supporters, I announce my withdrawal from the DPP immediately. My wife Wu Shu-jen is also withdrawing from the party." DPP Chairperson followed with a public statement on behalf of the party: "In regard to Chen and his wife's decision to withdraw from the party and his desire to shoulder responsibility for his actions as well as to undergo an investigation by the party's anti-corruption committee, we respect his decision and accept it."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/08/17/former-taiwan-president-resigns-from-party-over-corruption-charges|title=pacificmagazine.net, Former Republic of China President Resigns From Party Over Corruption Charges}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The DPP vowed to reflect on public misgivings towards the party. Chairperson Tsai insisted on the need for the party to remember its history, defend the Republic of China's sovereignty and national security, and maintain its confidence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080827/1/14w0t.html|title=中廣 via Yahoo! News, 媒體民調僅剩11趴 民進黨：虛心檢討}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080827/58/14wkq.html|title=央廣 via Yahoo! News, 民進黨支持度剩11%？ 蔡英文：覺得信心還在}}</ref>

The party re-emerged as a voice in Taiwan's political debate when Ma's administration reached the end of its first year in office. The DPP marked the anniversary with massive rallies in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Tsai's address to the crowd in Taipei on 17 May proclaimed a "citizens' movement to protect Republic of China" seeking to "protect our democracy and protect Republic of China."<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://dpptaiwan.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/tsai-ing-wens-opening-speech-at-the-517-rally/| title=Tsai Ing-wen's Opening Speech at the 517 Rally| date=17 May 2009| access-date=3 June 2009| archive-date=18 July 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718092653/http://dpptaiwan.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/tsai-ing-wens-opening-speech-at-the-517-rally/| url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2016–2024: in majority government ===
On 16 January 2016, Taiwan held [[2016 Taiwanese presidential election|a general election for its presidency]] and [[2016 Taiwanese legislative election|for the Legislative Yuan]]. The DPP gained the presidential seat, with the election of Tsai Ing-wen, who received 56.12% of the votes, while her opponent [[Eric Chu]] gained 31.2%.<ref>{{cite web|title = Taiwan gets first female President as DPP sweeps election|url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/taiwan-gets-first-female/2432040.html|website = Channel NewsAsia|access-date = 16 January 2016|archive-date = 16 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160116134410/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/taiwan-gets-first-female/2432040.html}}</ref> In addition, the DPP gained a majority of the Legislative Yuan, winning 68 seats in the 113-seat legislature, up from 40 in 2012 election, thus giving them the majority for the first time in its history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hsiao |first=Alison |date=17 January 2016 |title=ELECTIONS: DPP to control Legislative Yuan |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/01/17/2003637414 |newspaper=Taipei Times |page=6 |access-date=16 January 2016 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129172034/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/01/17/2003637414 |url-status=live }}</ref>

President Tsai won reelection in the [[2020 Taiwanese presidential election]] on 11 January 2020, and the Democratic Progressive Party retained its legislative majority, [[2020 Taiwanese legislative election|winning 61 seats]].

=== 2024–present: return to minority government ===
The 13 January 2024 [[2024 Taiwanese presidential election|presidential election]] and [[2024 Taiwanese legislative election|legislative elections]] led to the election of [[Lai Ching-te]] who won with 40.1% of the votes, while his opponents, [[Hou Yu-ih]] of the KMT had 33.5% of the votes, and [[Ko Wen-je]] of the [[Taiwan People's Party]] with 26.5% of the vote. In addition, this election made the DPP the first party to win three consecutive presidential terms since direct elections were introduced in [[1996 Taiwanese presidential election|1996]]. The DPP was unable to retain its majority in the Legislative Yuan, losing ten seats.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chen|last2=Sam|last3=Lin|first1=Spe|first2=Cedric|first3=Jeremy C.F.|date=January 13, 2024|title=Taiwan Election Live Results|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-taiwan-election/|work=Bloomberg|access-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113045015/https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-taiwan-election/|archive-date=13 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Tan|first=Clement|date=13 January 2024|title=China skeptic Lai Ching-te wins Taiwan's presidential election|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/13/taiwan-2024-election-dpps-lai-ching-te-wins.html|access-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113122917/https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/13/taiwan-2024-election-dpps-lai-ching-te-wins.html|archive-date=13 January 2024|work=CNBC}}</ref>