The proportion of members over 65 years old in the Kuomintang (KMT) is 66.5%, and there are four indicators to determine whether the party can achieve youthfulness.
Regarding the reform of youthfulness, the KMT has been calling for it for many years, but the progress has been as slow as a cow's pace. Recently, the KMT Central Committee released data showing that the number of eligible voters for the party chairman election is 331,410, among whom more than 220,000 are over 65 years old, accounting for about 66.5%. "Too old!" This is the stereotype of the KMT from the outside world. Not only are the members generally old, making it difficult to attract young people, but the leadership is also aging. This is one of the key reasons why 73-year-old Hau Lung-bin ultimately lost in the "generational succession" call.
In fact, from another perspective, it also reflects the strong calls within the party for youthfulness reform. On August 18th, the Taiwan media "Yahoo奇摩" started an online vote on the question "What do you think of Zheng Liwen's election as the KMT chairman," and 75.1% of netizens expressed satisfaction.
Over the years, in the general estimation of the nationwide elections, the KMT can only obtain about 15% of the young votes, while the rest are divided between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the People's First Party.
To promote youthfulness, Zheng Liwen emphasized "generational succession" during her campaign, stressing that the younger generation should take over; she promised that if elected as the party chairman, she would promote "new personnel and new policies," enabling the KMT to be transformed, and actively seek the recognition of young voters under 40. She promised that the party's election nomination system in the future will be fair and open, and nominations should be down-to-earth, prioritizing current members and potential new talents, ensuring the system is respected.
After being elected, how will Zheng Liwen fulfill her promises for youthfulness reform? How will the party's power structure shift towards the younger generation? It can be observed from four aspects: first, the percentage of young people in the appointment of senior positions within the party, and how to carry out the "old branches and new shoots" personnel arrangements. Second, in the "nine-in-one" election next year, how many young people are there among the candidates for county magistrates, councilors, and village heads? Third, for the 2028 "regional legislators" and "non-constituency legislators" nominations, how many young people are there among the candidates? Fourth, does the KMT's policy formulation and discourse meet the needs and tastes of young people?
If the youthfulness reform proceeds smoothly, it will be able to "steal" more young votes, thus expanding the KMT's chances of winning in the 2026 and 2028 elections.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846425268702220/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.