More than 51 percent of the party's 256,000 eligible members cast their ballots in the election. Tsai received 57 percent of the total votes cast, or 73,865 votes, while Koo took 38 percent, or 48,882 votes. A third candidate, Chai Trong-rong, received 6,530 votes, despite having announced his withdrawal from the poll May 12.
After praising Koo's graciousness in defeat and his deep concern for the country, Hsieh expressed gratitude for the higher-than-expected voter turnout. Fewer people had been expected to vote due to morale among DPP members being low after disappointing performances in the last two national elections against the Kuomintang. Local reports claimed that popular support for the party had dropped to around 18 percent when news broke out that funds intended for the establishment of diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea were missing.
Speaking to the media at the DPP's headquarters, Tsai said she was confident of winning back the people's trust in the party, and that she believed it would rise again. Elected as leader at a time when the DPP was handing over power to the KMT, she said the challenges have only just begun.
As an opposition party, "We should play our role of maintaining checks and balances well, rather than dwelling on our loss of power," she said. "I believe in protecting Taiwan's sovereignty, consolidating its young democracy and the ideal of social equity. That's the responsibility the DPP should shoulder for Taiwan."
While thanking both of her rivals for helping her learn during the campaign, Tsai said she believed the "fire sparked by competition would not create a scare [in the party]," and that she would soon begin soliciting opinions and ideas from grassroots supporters and civic reform groups.
Her first step, Tsai said, would be to consult Koo and his top campaigner Chen Shih-meng over how best to reform the party. Chen, former secretary-general of the Presidential Office, had originally suggested the best leadership team for the DPP would be Koo as chairman and Tsai as vice chair, and complemented the latter's pragmatic approach and good flexibility in implementing ideas.
Tsai, who joined the party in 2004, vowed to pay close attention to the KMT government's cross-strait policies. The former minister of the Mainland Affairs Council said the DPP had accumulated more understanding and experience in cross-strait affairs than the KMT had done over the past few years. "We will remind them when their policies lack careful consideration, and criticize them when they make mistakes."
The DPP's legislative caucus whip, Ker Chien-ming, said Tsai must not only work to unite the party that some say has been plagued by factionalism, but must also produce reform strategies to help it win mayoral and county commissioner elections at the end of next year. He lauded Tsai for not being associated with in-house disputes and thus capable of changing the DPP's image.
Another challenge was to integrate the resources and strengths of the party headquarters and the caucus, Ker said. He urged Tsai to set up a think tank to facilitate interaction between the two to strengthen their efficiency in overseeing the government and making laws. Tsai's doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science and her experience in government would make her suitable for such a job, he suggested.
Given that the voter turnout was the highest in the history of DPP chairman elections, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu of the DPP said it showed that members still had great expectations for the party. Tsai's win was the result of party members' independent choices rather than the manipulation by factions, she remarked.
The DPP could serve as a great example for the KMT, Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu said. Hung, who lost her KMT chairmanship bid to Wu Poh-hsiung in 2007, also indicated that Tsai's election as the first female chairwoman of a major party in the country was proof that capability knows no gender.
DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu said the DPP had long been active in promoting women's political participation, adding that she expected Tsai to lead the party into a new era.
Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw