Bracing for a New Political Landscape...

* The Legislative Yuan (LY) will convene on February 20, with a first KMT-backed speaker and vice speaker tandem in eight years. In addition, smaller parties like the People First Party (PFP) and New Power Party (NPP) failed to win any seat to form a caucus. Therefore, it's now a three-party affair between the KMT, DPP, and TPP in the coming four years.

* There are indications that the TPP plans to utilize its eight seats to the fullest and will work with both the KMT and DPP on legislations that fit its party's interests. The most important task for the TPP is to develop its grassroots organization around Taiwan, continue its strong hold on voters below 40, and avoid being labeled as a "small green" or "small blue" party. In other words, if the TPP gets too close with either the KMT or DPP, it's easy to blur the party lines and makes a "political merger" with either inevitable. Since TPP Chairman Ke Wen-je has presidential aspirations for 2028, party independence is indispensable to remain politically viable.

* The KMT and the DPP, on the other hand, will explore ways to work together when the legislative agenda fits their respective party interests. They will compete, contend, and collaborate in the next four years. No one knows how the inter-party relations will look, but violence will not be commonplace. That's a welcome change from Taiwan's LY when little room for rational debate remained available.