After the Kuomintang party (KMT) won a legislative plurality during Taiwan’s January election, the KMT has been eager to test the extent of its newfound political influence, after long having been sidelined from national level policymaking since 2016. With the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) abstaining during the Legislative Yuan vote for speakership, Han Kuo Yu, KMT’s 2020 presidential candidate was elected as speaker on February 1, 2024, officiating his return to the top of Taiwan politics.