《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 New SDP vows to secure five legislative seats

By Lii Wen / Staff reporter

Members of the soon to be formed Social Democratic Party （SDP） — a center-left political party set to be launched by veteran social activists — have vowed to clinch five legislator-at-large seats in the legislative elections in January next year.

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The party is to hold its inauguration event on March 29, which is to be preceded by a series of public forums to invite increased participation.

At a public forum hosted by the party on Sunday, members of the upcoming party said that they aimed to present an alternative to existing pan-blue and pan-green camps, saying that both major parties have failed to address widening economic disparity.

Led by National Taiwan University professor and women’s rights activist Fan Yun （范雲）, members of the SDP vowed to promote institutional reforms to ensure social justice, as well as challenge what they see as a “stranglehold on politics by large corporations and the privileged.”

National Chung Cheng University professor Chen Shang-chih （陳尚志） outlined five key policies on the SDP’s agenda — increasing wages, reforming the national pension system, raising taxes for the wealthy and business conglomerates, improving government transparency and promoting social diversity.

The party is to work closely with labor unions and advocates for underprivileged groups, including those that represent the interests of migrant workers, foreign spouses and Aborigines, as well as members of the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, Chen said.

Youth activist Syu Wei-ting （許韋婷） said the party aims to introduce a new style of politics that emphasizes the discussion of policies, instead of traditional methods of voter mobilization that place a heavy emphasis on local personal ties.

“From the start, we wanted to run this campaign differently from others. We wanted to prove that it is possible to run an election while focusing on discussion of policies and ideals,” Syu said.

Women’s rights activist and academic Wu Wei-ting （伍維婷） said that the party aims to secure the support of voters aged 45 and below, especially those from the “sandwich generation,” who are struggling with economic burdens caring for both their elderly parents and young children.

Fan said that the SDP’s goal is to garner the support of 2 million voters for their legislator-at-large candidates in the upcoming elections, which would secure five seats.

Among a total of 113 seats in the legislature, 34 seats are allocated according to the share of votes each party receives for their predetermined list of legislator-at-large candidates.

Amid an explosion of candidates from minor parties, the SDP is currently engaged in talks to formulate a joint legislator-at-large list with the environmental issue-focused Green Party.

As Fan is considering the race for Taipei’s Daan District （大安）, she could find herself competing for votes with Freddy Lim （林昶佐） of the New Power Party, which was also launched by social activists.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES