The 'New Party' (新黨, xīndăng), formerly the 'Chinese New Party' (CNP; 中華新黨, zhōnghúa xīndăng), is a
political party in the
Republic of China (
Taiwan).
The Chinese New Party was formed out of a split from the then-ruling
Kuomintang (KMT) by members of the
New Kuomintang Alliance in August 1993. Members of the Alliance had accused KMT Chairman
Lee Teng-hui of autocratic tendencies and moving the party away from
Chinese reunification. Originally, the party wanted to keep the name of the faction, but was prevented from doing so due to the similarity of names. The name "New Party" was seemingly inspired by the contemporary electoral success of the Japanese political party
Shin-to Sakigake ("New Party Renegades"; see
Politics of Japan).
In the mid-1990s, the New Party attracted support from the KMT old guard as well as young urban professionals. The New Party was aided by former Finance Minister
Wang Chien-shien and former Environmental Protection Administration Director
Jaw Shaw-kong, who had charismatic and clean images.
In the
2000 Presidential Election, the party nominated writer and dissident
Li Ao who ran a spirited but token campaign. In the election, most members of the party supported
James Soong, and in fact both
Li Ao and the convenor of the New Party encouraged people to do so.
In the 2006 Elections, the New Party made significant gains, seating over a dozen members into public office. The New Party also gained four seats in Taipei Major private offices.
As the New Party grew out of the Kuomintang, it is usually associated with the
pan-blue coalition. Its party color is yellow.
See also
★
History of the Republic of China
★
Politics of the Republic of China
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Elections in the Republic of China
★
List of political parties in the Republic of China
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Political divisions of the Republic of China
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Political status of Taiwan
External links
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New Party official web site