ABSTRACT
The 2016 election of Tsai Ing-wen to the presidency marked the end of the judicial reform agenda under Kuomintang (KMT) President Ma Ying-jeou, which was masterminded by Judicial Yuan Vice President Su Yeong-chin. Her party’s simultaneous victory in legislative elections meant that, for the first time in the history of the Republic of China, the Democratic Progressive Party controlled the Legislative Yuan. In her inaugural speech, President Tsai listed her major priorities: changing Taiwan’s economic model by expanding ties with India and ASEAN counties; pension reform to improve a dire fiscal outlook; “transitional justice” measures aimed at past KMT abuses; deepening international cooperation; and taking a less integrationist approach to cross-Strait relations. The President’s comments on judicial reform elicited the most applause of any part of her speech. There were reasons to suspect judicial reform would again be thwarted. In July 2016, President Tsai nominated two career judges to the presidency and vice presidency of the Judicial Yuan.
