Chances and Limits of the Small Parties in the Legislative Yuan
Posted: 13 Aug 2009
Date Written: 2009
Abstract
Party elites and general voters would both agree that the three small parties, NP, PFP and TSU, brought much more political influence than their proportions of seats in the Legislative Yuan. One of the key points is that they could use pivot position in roll call votes to exert more political influence and get more benefits from the major parties. I argue that whether or not small parties stand pivot position is influenced by many internal and external elements. These elements include party strength of the small parties, party politics in different periods of time, and conflict level of the major parties. Even though the party size of small parties affects their political chances, small parties may break through the limits of the small size sometimes. It may take an advantage of the external conditions: when the large party does not control a safe majority, when the major party has a weak cohesion, or when the conflict of the majority parties maintains a middle level. In addition, if small parties maintain a larger flexibility, they have greater chances. However, if the political condition limits this flexibility, (i.e. the small party can only choose the party in its same bloc in the Fifth and Sixth period), the small parties have limited leverage in the political arena.
Keywords: party politics, small party, NP, PFP, TSU
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