Formosa Alliance

The Formosa Alliance was established on 7 April 2018. Its founding leader was Kuo Bei-hong, at the time also chairman of Formosa Television.[1] Other members included Chen Shui-bian, Huang Kuo-chang, Lee Teng-hui, Yu Shyi-kun, and the Taiwan Solidarity Union, as well as several overseas Taiwanese organizations.[2][3] The organization intended to hold a referendum on independence on 6 April 2019, though this did not occur. Other goals included advocating a change in the island's name from the Republic of China to Taiwan, and to apply for membership in the United Nations.[4][5][6] The alliance's first full meeting was held on 16 June 2018.[7]

In April 2019, the Formosa Alliance announced a split between it and the Democratic Progressive Party, as well as a new color scheme emphasizing turquoise, a representation of the land of Taiwan and the ocean.[8] The alliance rebranded as a political party, and expanded its platform. Alongside support for the independence referendum and admittance to the United Nations, the Formosa Alliance sought to draft a new constitution, introduce a new national anthem, adopt a new flag, and normalize diplomatic relations with other nations.[9] Compared with the Democratic Progressive Party, from which it split, the Formosa Alliance is more socially conservative.[10] On 20 July 2019, the Formosa Alliance was reconstituted as a political party, with Presbyterian Church in Taiwan minister Lo Jen-kuei as its first chairman.[11] Lo named Shih Cheng-feng as the party's deputy chairman.[12] Party officials stated that it would not nominate a candidate to contest the 2020 Taiwan presidential election, but that it would field ten candidates in the concurrent 2020 Taiwan legislative election.[12]

On 10 September 2019, Formosa Alliance executive committee member Ou Chong-jing stated that he would obtain registration forms for the 2020 presidential election from the Central Election Commission.[13] Ou told Taiwan News that the Formosa Alliance had planned to back his legislative campaign in New Taipei, but subsequently announced that a presidential candidate would be named without a primary.[14] Ou then acquired the petition required of independent presidential candidacies, without the party's support,[15] though he stated that he would wait until the deadline to register presidential bids, 17 September 2019, for the Formosa Alliance's decision.[14] On 17 September 2019, Annette Lu announced that she and Peng Pai-hsien, via petition, would form the Formosa Alliance ticket for the presidential election, though Lu remained a member of the Democratic Progressive Party.[16][17] Lu and Peng ended their campaign on 2 November 2019.[18][19]