It’s a chilly Saturday morning at Yonghe district in New Taipei City and voters are steadily streaming into a primary school, clutching their voting slips.
President Tsai Ing-wen made an appearance here earlier, along with her party DPP’s vice-presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-Khim.
For one young voter, it’s a moment full of possibilities. “With this election the era of DPP and [opposition party] KMT [dominating politics] has ended thanks to a new party. It’s time for the younger generation to arrive and make themselves heard,” said Mr Huang, a 28-year-old soldier.
Observers says the Taiwan People’s Party has made inroads in capturing some support, particularly among youth.
But others see things differently. “I was born in Taiwan. We are walking the path of democracy and progress, we cannot turn back,” said Mrs Liu, who works in the insurance industry.
“I’m not scared of China’s threats, we must defend ourselves. In any case it doesn’t matter who wins, you won’t solve the problem of tensions, you’re just passing it on to the next generation,” she added.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
