ABSTRACT
After the promising electoral campaigns of 1996 and 1998, the GPT entered its quietest period. Even though there were multiple elections between 2000 and 2005, the party only nominated four times. The low point for the party came in its failure to nominate any candidates in the elections held in 2004 and 2005. It appeared as if the GPT had followed the pattern set by earlier challenger parties of ceasing to contest elections after suffering electoral setbacks. However, there were signs the party was recovering by early 2005, as it took an active part in the first Asia Pacific Greens Congress and the next year began preparations for the 2006 local elections.
The format of this chapter will be rather different from the other explanatory chapters. There will be less coverage of the elections, as to a large extent the GPT did not run serious campaigns. Instead, I will focus more on how we can best understand the collapse of the GPT after 1998 and how the party re-emerged in 2005–6.
