Thread by @DemesDavid

In less than 200 days, Taiwanese will flock to the polls to elect a new President and Parliament. As an avid viewer of Taiwan’s political talk shows, I thought I’d compile a vocabulary list for anyone wanting to better understand the country’s political jargon.

Let’s dive in…🗳️

三跤㧣（also 三腳督、三角堵）is a Taiwanese term (pronounced sann1-kha1-tu1) referring to a three-way-race, like in the upcoming 2024 election between Lai, Ko, and Hou. If Terry Gou were to join as an independent, it would become a four-way-race 四跤㧣.

棄保：A three-way-race always carries the risk of a phenomenon called “abandoning one to save another”. During the 2018 Taipei mayoral elections, pan-green voters abandoned the DPP candidate and voted for Ko Wen-je to prevent KMT candidate Ting Shou-chung from winning.

空戰 & 陸戰：Traditional street campaigning and canvassing is referred to as a “land battle”, while online campaigning and the appearance on political talk shows is called “air battle”.

空降：Like in journalism when a journalist is “parachuted” into a country to report on a region they are not familiar with, parties may decide to run famous individuals or seasoned party members in districts that are not their home and considered “tough districts” 艱困選區.

整合：A party may try to consolidate support by “integrating” different factions or loosely aligned political camps. Some are waiting to see whether a strong Ko Wen-je will “integrate” the KMT and lead a cross-party anti-DPP-campaign, or whether he will be “integrated” by Hou.

禮讓：Another form of integration is the strategy of “giving way” to small party candidates from the same political camp. The DPP calls this strategy “great democratic alliance” 民主大聯盟 and is supporting non-DPP candidates like Miao Po-ya in Taipei’s deep blue Da’an district.

徵召：A presidential candidate may be selected through a primary 初選 or “appointment” by the party leadership. The KMT did not hold a primary, but appointed Hou Yu-Ih after internal deliberations, leaving Terry Gou and his supporters disillusioned.

XX配：Similar to the “Biden-Harris ticket” in the US, the “pairing” of presidential and vice-presidential candidates is informally known as XX配. For instance, a potential pairing of Ke Wen-je and Terry Gou may be termed as 柯郭配 or 郭柯配, contingent upon who heads the ticket.

藍皮綠骨：Some “deep blue” 深藍 KMT supporters may consider their party’s candidate Hou Yu-Ih to be merely “blue on the outside, but green at heart” because he failed to support KMT candidate and policy positions during the 2020 elections.

父母官：Local leaders like mayors are seen as “parent-like officials” responsible for citizens’ well-being. For example, Taichung’s mayor Lu Shiow-yen (KMT) dubs herself “Mother Mayor” 媽媽市長. However, this parent-child mindset can sometimes lead to unrealistic expectations.

母雞 & 小雞: The leading (presidential or mayoral) candidate, termed the “hen”, influences the electoral outcomes of down-ballot legislative candidates or “baby chicks”. Currently, the KMT is reportedly trying to prevent its “baby chicks” from following the wrong “hen”, Ke Wen-je

I’ll do more of these as the campaign moves along, when I come across something interesting. If you feel like a certain term should be included, let me know. I’m open to suggestions!