(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou continues to show a dismal rapport with his constituents, according to a poll by Global Views. Only 23.5 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Ma’s performance, down 4.8 points since November.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou continues to show a dismal rapport with his constituents, according to a poll by Global Views. Only 23.5 per cent of respondents are satisfied with Ma’s performance, down 4.8 points since November.
In 1895, following a military defeat, China ceded Taiwan to Japan. At the end of World War II, the island was returned to Chinese control. In 1949, as Mao Zedong’s communists were gaining prominence in mainland China, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek established the Republic of China in Taiwan.
A series of democratic reforms implemented by Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui in the early 1990s allowed Taiwan’s residents to take part in free and fair elections. To this date, the People’s Republic of China considers Taiwan a "renegade province" and reserves the right to bring it under control.
In March 2008, Ma won the presidential election with 58.45 per cent of the vote as a candidate for the Kuomintang Party (KMT). Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) finished second with 41.55 per cent.
The KMT advocates for maintaining the status quo with the Chinese central government, while the DPP has aggressively pursued independence from Beijing.
On Dec. 31, Ma reiterated that he does not plan to seek independence for Taiwan, declaring, "At the present stage any radical political choice, whether it be unification or independence, would trigger serious confrontation and turbulence. I insist on maintaining the situation of ‘no unification, no independence, no use of force’ to promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation for peaceful developments in the Taiwan Strait."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with Ma Ying-jeou’s performance as president?
|
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Dec. 2009
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Nov. 2009
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Oct. 2009
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Satisfied
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23.5%
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28.3%
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29.5%
|
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Dissatisfied
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62.2%
|
61.0%
|
58.6%
|
Source: Global Views
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,022 Taiwanese adults, conducted from Dec. 14 to Dec. 16, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
