People First Party (Taiwan) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids People First Party 親民黨
Leader	James Soong
Founded	31 March 2000
Split from	Kuomintang
Headquarters	Taipei, Taiwan
Ideology	Liberal conservatism
Political position	Centre to centre-right
National affiliation	Pan-Blue Coalition
Colors	Orange
Legislative Yuan	0 / 113
Municipal mayors	0 / 6
Magistrates/mayors	0 / 16
Councilors	2 / 912
Township/city mayors	0 / 204
Party flag

The People First Party (PFP) is a political party in Taiwan. It is known for having moderate to slightly conservative views. The party's name, "People First," comes from an old Chinese idea about putting people's needs first.

The PFP was started by James Soong in March 2000. This happened after he tried to become president as an independent candidate. Before that, he was part of another big party called the Kuomintang. In the 2001 election, the PFP became the third-largest party in Taiwan's law-making body, the Legislative Yuan.

James Soong ran for president several times. In 2020, he announced that it would be his last time running. The PFP did not win any seats in the Legislative Yuan in the 2020 election.

The People First Party's Story

The PFP was created by James Soong and his supporters in 2000. Soong had been a member of the Kuomintang (KMT). But he was removed from the KMT when he decided to run for president on his own. James Soong is the leader of the PFP and has a big influence on the party.

Working with Other Parties

The PFP works closely with the Kuomintang (KMT). They are part of a group called the Pan-Blue Coalition. This group includes parties that share similar ideas about Taiwan's future. Since both the PFP and the KMT came from the same original party, they sometimes compete for the same voters. This has made their relationship interesting and sometimes tricky.

For example, in some elections, both parties would have candidates running. But close to election day, the party with the less popular candidate would sometimes quietly step aside. This helped the other party's candidate have a better chance. This strategy was used to try and prevent another party, the Democratic Progressive Party, from winning.

After losing the Taipei mayoral election in 2006, James Soong said he would retire from politics. At that time, the PFP's future was unclear. There were talks about the PFP joining with the Kuomintang, but they decided not to merge.

Presidential Elections and the PFP

In 2011, James Soong ran for president for the PFP. He chose a professor named Ruey-Shiung Lin as his running mate for the 2012 election. Some people worried that Soong's campaign would split the votes of the Pan-Blue Coalition. This could have helped the Democratic Progressive Party win, like what happened in the 2000 election. However, Soong said his campaign was serious.

On election day, the Soong-Lin team received 2.77% of the votes. The KMT's candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, won the election. In the same year's legislative election, the PFP won three seats in the Legislative Yuan.

Soong ran for president again in 2016 and 2020. In 2016, he got 12.84% of the votes. In 2020, he received 4.26% of the votes. In 2016, the PFP kept its seats in the legislature. However, in 2020, the PFP did not win enough votes to have any representatives in the Legislative Yuan. Before the 2020 election results, James Soong said that this would be his last time running for president. This made people wonder about the future of the party.

What the PFP Believes In

The People First Party is seen as a party with moderate or slightly conservative political views.

The PFP has clear goals for Taiwan's relationships with other countries and with mainland China. They want Taiwan to join more international groups. They also want to promote Chinese culture around the world. The party believes in increasing economic and cultural connections between Taiwan and mainland China. Their views generally support the idea of Chinese unification and are strongly against Taiwan independence.

Election Results

The People First Party has participated in many elections in Taiwan. Here's a look at how they have done:

Presidential Election Results

Election	Candidate	Running mate	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome
2000	James Soong Chu-yu	Chang Chau-hsiung	4,664,932	36.8%	Lost
2004	Lien Chan ( KMT)	James Soong Chu-yu	6,423,906	49.8%	Lost
2012	James Soong Chu-yu	Lin Ruey-shiung	369,588	2.77%	Lost
2016	James Soong Chu-yu	Hsu Hsin-ying ( MKT)	1,576,861	12.84%	Lost
2020	James Soong Chu-yu	Sandra Yu	608,590	4.26%	Lost

Legislative Election Results

Election	Total seats won	Total votes	Share of votes	Seat changes	Election leader	Status	President
2001	46 / 225	1,917,836	20.3%	29 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	3rd Party	Chen Shui-bian
2004	34 / 225	1,350,613	14.78%	12 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	3rd Party
2008	1 / 113	28,254	0.3%	33 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	4th Party
				4th Party		Ma Ying-jeou
2012	3 / 113	722,089	5.49%	2 seats	James Soong Chu-yu		4th Party
2016	3 / 113	794,838	6.52%	0 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	4th Party	Tsai Ing-wen
2020	0 / 113	518,921	3.66%	3 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	Did not represent
2024	0 / 113	69,817	0.51%	0 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	Did not represent	Lai Ching-te

Local Election Results

National Assembly Election Results

Election	Total seats won	Total votes	Share of votes	Changes	Election leader	Status	President
2005	18 / 300	236,716	6.11%	18 seats	James Soong Chu-yu	4th Party	Chen Shui-bian

See also

In Spanish: Partido Primero el Pueblo para niños

• Politics of the Republic of China
• Elections in Taiwan
• List of political parties in Taiwan