Top 10 players to watch at the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in Ivory Coast
The CAF Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Ivory Coast when the hosts face Guinea-Bissau on January 13 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. Senegal are the defending champions as they beat Egypt on penalties at the last edition in Cameroon. Here’s a look at our top 10 players whose performances are likely to be decisive if their side is to lift the trophy on February 11: 1. Mohamed Salah: Egypt The hopes and dreams of a nation rest on one man’s shoulders. If Egypt are to add to their record seven continental titles, then Mohamed Salah will have to bear the brunt of the work for the Pharaohs. Egypt have not won an AFCON title since 2010, and Salah has been left on the losing side in the final in both 2017 and 2021. This edition of AFCON may not be the 31-year-old’s last, but it will be the last one where Egypt can truly boast that the king is still at the peak of his powers. How many international goals Salah will add to the 53 he has already netted, in only 93 appearances, is likely to be the decisive stat for Egypt’s hopes for erasing the memory of defeat in the final of the last AFCON by Senegal. The last 🔟 #TotalEnergiesAFCON Player of the Tournament winners. 🏅 Who wins the next one in Côte d’Ivoire? 🤔#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/Zgll6qWAab — CAF (@CAF_Online) January 7, 2024 2. Sadio Mane: Senegal Although not set to be as defining a role in the Senegal team as his former Liverpool teammate Salah is to Egypt, Sadio Mane is still the main man for his nation. His loss to the Senegal team at the Qatar 2022 World Cup cannot be overstated. As reigning AFCON champions, the Lions of Teranga were thought to be the African team that could break through to the semifinal stage in the global event for the first time. Without Mane, the Lions lost their bite and could not repeat their previous best of a quarterfinal appearance as they were well beaten in the group by the Netherlands and in the round of 16 by England. The 31-year-old’s 39 goals in 100 appearances for his country simply could not be replicated. It’s hard to see how Senegal defend their crown if Mane fails to fire. 3. Victor Osimhen: Nigeria Victor Osimhen became the hottest property in world football last season when he finished as leading scorer in Serie A, helping Napoli to their first league title since 1990. Denied a crack at the 2022 Qatar World Cup by Nigeria’s playoff defeat by Ghana, AFCON 2023 marks Osimhen’s first chance to shine on the international stage. If Nigeria are to lift their fourth crown, and only their second in 30 years, then it is likely that Osimhen will be very close to securing the tournament’s leading scorer accolade. The 25-year-old already has 20 goals in 27 appearances. There is no shortage of riches for Nigeria in their attacking options, but the 2023 African Player of the Year will need to carry either the goalscoring for his team or the workload to keep the focus of the defences on him and, in doing so, free up space for others. pic.twitter.com/trkhIRb8RT — Victor Osimhen (@victorosimhen9) December 17, 2023 4. Mohammed Kudus: Ghana Kudus has taken the Premier League by storm with West Ham this season – something a player transferring to England rarely does in their first year. The midfielder is 12th on the list in the English top flight for goals per minute – not bad for a midfielder in a team where even the strikers are demanded to work back first and foremost. The 23-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in 24 matches in all competitions for the Hammers, first caught the attention of European clubs when Danish side FC Nordsjaelland brought him from Ghana at the age of 17 – a relative latecomer in the modern football world. His rise from there has known no bounds as, two years later, he was snapped up by Ajax where he impressed greatly in his three seasons in Amsterdam, as well as at the 2022 World Cup. Ghana will relish the impact he could have in providing extra quality behind a forward line of the Ayew brothers and Inaki Williams. 5. Youssef En-Nesyri: Morocco On a far different note to that of Salah, Mane and Osimhen, Youssef En-Nesyri’s performance in front of goal is likely to hold the key to Morocco’s ambitions. The historic achievement of reaching the World Cup semifinal in Qatar left their manager Walid Regragui with a clear mission ahead: to win the 2023 AFCON. To do so, Morocco need to find goals. Their defence is their rock and is securely guarded by Sofyan Amrabat, but their attack needs to find the net more regularly and criticism has been planted at the feet of En-Nesyri. The 26-year-old’s return of 17 goals in 61 matches is not exactly an embarrassment at the international level and Regragui has highlighted the Seville striker’s work rate for the team as a key element of their success. France famously won the 1998 World Cup without a recognised goalscorer, so perhaps Morocco do not need to panic. There are, however, some incredible goal scorers at the tournament who might just pinch a tight game for their side and leave the Atlas Lions licking their wounds. The Atlas Lions are practicing their celebrations already 😉🇲🇦@EnMaroc | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/rk1UDarPng — CAF (@CAF_Online) January 10, 2024 6. Andre Onana: Cameroon Onana’s return from international retirement in goal for Cameroon could be as problematic for the coach as it is, no doubt, welcome for the fans and his teammates. His dismissal from the World Cup squad during the tournament and subsequent retirement appeared to spell the end of this international career – at least while Rigobert Song was in charge of the team anyway. The 27-year-old’s recall to the squad in September for the AFCON qualifiers was
Ecuador ‘in state of war’ against drug cartels’ terror campaign
With city streets largely deserted apart from a massive military deployment, Ecuador found itself in a “state of war” as drug cartels waged a brutal campaign of kidnappings and attacks in response to a government crackdown. Hundreds of soldiers patrolled the capital, Quito, where residents were gripped by fear over a surge in violence that has also prompted alarm abroad. The small South American country has been plunged into crisis after years of increasing control by transnational cartels that use its ports to ship cocaine to the United States and Europe. The latest outburst of violence was sparked by the discovery on Sunday of the prison escape of one of the country’s most powerful narco bosses, Jose Adolfo Macias, known by the alias “Fito”. On Monday, President Daniel Noboa imposed a state of emergency and nighttime curfew, but the gangs hit back with a declaration of “war” – threatening to execute civilians and security forces. They also instigated numerous prison riots, set off explosions in public places and waged attacks in which at least 14 people have been killed. More than 100 prison guards and administrative staff have been taken hostage, the prisons authority said. In the port city of Guayaquil, attackers wearing balaclavas stormed a state-owned TV station on Tuesday, briefly taking several journalists and staff members hostage and firing shots in dramatic scenes broadcast live before police arrived. Local media reported some of the attackers were as young as 16. This attack, in particular, spread panic among the general population, many of whom left work and closed shops to return to the safety of their homes. “Today we are not safe, anything can happen,” said Luis Chiligano, a 53-year-old security guard in Quito who explained he was opting to hide rather than confront “the criminals, who are better armed”. Noboa said on Wednesday that the country was now in a “state of war,” as he promised not to yield to the gangs. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump wasn’t there to defend himself, but comes away relatively unscathed in DeSantis-Haley Iowa debate
It was a slugfest. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, sharing the debate stage in Iowa five days before the state’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, spent much of their two-hour showdown Wednesday night attacking each other and disagreeing on policy. That allowed the absent front-runner in the GOP race – former President Donald Trump – to emerge relatively unscathed in a debate that was held a couple of hours after another contender – former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign. Trump, who skipped a Republican debate for the fifth straight time since last summer, was a few miles away in downtown Des Moines, taking part in a Fox News town hall. WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID AT A FOX NEWS TOWN HALL IN IOWA The verbal fireworks ignited moments into the debate, with DeSantis charging that Haley was a “mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote.” Haley immediate hit back, labeling DeSantis a liar. “What we’re going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantislies.com and look at all of those,” Haley argued, in the first of numerous references to a new campaign website. And she warned the audience at the debate – which took place at Iowa’s Drake University – “don’t turn this into a drinking game. You will be overserved.” After DeSantis claimed that “Haley’s running to pursue her donors’ issues. I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues,” she returned fire, arguing DeSantis “is only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they’re no longer with him now.” And Haley charged that DeSantis’ “campaign is exploding.” CHRISTIE TAKES AIM AT HALEY AS THE FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR DROPS OUT OF THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to Trump in the Republican White House race. He was solidly in second place behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner as he makes his third straight presidential bid. But after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode. Haley grabbed momentum during the autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks she caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in national surveys. Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa’s caucuses. Haley and DeSantis battled over key issues, from the war in Ukraine and the bloodshed in the Middle East to border security and immigration. In a sharp exchange, DeSantis accusing Haley of being soft on securing the border. Haley returned fire, arguing “you can’t trust what Ron is saying.” While DeSantis and Haley spent plenty of time targeting each other, they did step up their attacks on Trump, with both of them criticizing Trump for not showing up at the debate and knocking the former president on policy. DeSantis slammed Trump for failing to “drain the swamp” and to finish building the border wall with Mexico, and slammed him on the issue of abortion. Haley targeted Trump for the exploding national debt and not taking a tougher stance against China. She also aimed to frame the race as a two-candidate contest between her and the former president, stressing “I wish Donald Trump was up here on this stage. He is the one that I’m running against.” Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns and statewide contests in Iowa, was in the debate hall on Wednesday night. Kochel told Fox News that DeSantis and Haley are “both getting a little bolder in going after” Trump. “There are two campaigns going on in Iowa right now. One is Trump vs. his expectations and the other one is Haley vs. DeSantis to see who gets the right to take on Trump one-on-one,” Kochel emphasized. Kochel, who remains neutral in the GOP nomination race, noted that Haley and DeSantis “both want a shot at Trump and the other one’s in the way.” “She certainly got her licks in. She came across as more polished,” he argued. But he added that DeSantis “knew what he wanted to do tonight.” And Kochel didn’t see much downside for Trump – who is sitting on a massive lead in the latest Iowa polls – in skipping the debate. “His people don’t care. They’re with him no matter what,” he said. And he noted that DeSantis and Haley are “in the semi-finals. Trump has a bye week.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
COVID 19: India logs 514 fresh cases in 24 hours, 3,422 active cases nationwide amid JN.1 variant spike
India witnessed a spike of 514 coronavirus in single day amid JN.1 variant spike.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal slams Maharashtra Speaker ruling on Shiv Sena feud, calls it tragedy of ‘mother of democracy’
In a big political win for Shinde, assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday held that the Shiv Sena faction led by him was the ”real political party” when rival groups emerged in June 2022 and did not disqualify any MLA from the two camps.
Haley calls Trump attorney’s argument against legal charges ‘ridiculous’
Former Ambassador Nikki Haley responded to a Trump attorney’s defense of his immunity from legal charges as president as “ridiculous” during the last GOP presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses. “Do you agree with the argument Donald Trump’s lawyer made in court that a president should have immunity for any conduct, including in ordering the assassination of a political rival unless that president is impeached and convicted by the Senate for that offense first?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Haley during a debate on Wednesday night. “No, that’s ridiculous,” Haley responded. “That’s absolutely ridiculous. I mean, we need to use some common sense here. You can’t go and kill a political rival and then claim, you know, immunity from a president. I think we have to start doing things that are right and you know Ron said we should have leaders that we can look up to. Well, then stop lying, because nobody’s going to want to look up to you if you’re lying.” Haley continued, “But what I do think we need to look at is what has President Trump done? You look at the last few years and our country is completely divided. It’s divided over extremes. It’s divided over hatred. It’s divided over the fact that people think that if someone doesn’t agree with you that they’re bad. And now we have leaders in our country that decide who’s good and who’s bad, who’s right, and who’s wrong, that’s not what a leader does. What a leader does is they bring out the best in people and get them to see the way forward.” HALEY, DESANTIS FIRE SHOTS AT TRUMP IN HEAD-TO-HEAD DEBATE: ‘HE DID NOT DELIVER’ The question from Tapper to Haley was in reference to a comment from Trump lawyer D. John Sauer this week in a Washington D.C. courtroom where he answered with a “qualified yes” when asked if Trump’s immunity from prosecution as president would apply if Trump “ordered S.E.A.L. Team 6 to assassinate a political rival.” “He would have to be impeached and convicted,” Sauer argued. JUDGE JUDY ENDORSES NIKKI HALEY FOR PRESIDENT: ‘SHE IS WHIP SMART…SHE IS THE FUTURE’ Sauer said, “There’s a political process that would have to occur under the structure of our Constitution which would require conviction and impeachment by the Senate in these exceptional cases, as the OLC memo itself points out from the Department of Justice you’d expect a speedy impeachment and conviction.” Sauer argued before a federal appeals court Tuesday that the president has “absolute immunity,” even after leaving office — an argument that the judges appeared to be skeptical of. Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, fired back, saying: “I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate criminal law.” But Sauer argued that Biden, “the current incumbent of the presidency is prosecuting his number one political opponent and his greatest electoral threat.” Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team argued that presidents are not entitled to absolute immunity and that Trump’s alleged actions following the November 2020 election fall outside a president’s official job duties. “The president has a unique constitutional role but he is not above the law. Separation of powers principles, constitutional text, history, precedent and immunity doctrines all point to the conclusion that a former president enjoys no immunity from prosecution,” prosecutor James Pearce said, adding that a case in which a former president is alleged to have sought to overturn an election “is not the place to recognize some novel form of immunity.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Trump says Biden brought ‘chaos’ to US, vows to bring ‘success’ in possible second term
Former President Trump, if elected to a second term, said he would alleviate the “chaos” brought to the nation by the Biden administration by securing the southern border, bringing America back to energy independence, strengthening the economy and expanding and strengthening the military. Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner, participated in a Fox News Town Hall Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, just days before the highly-anticipated first-in-the-nation primary contests in the Hawkeye State on Jan. 15. Trump, who leads the Republican primary field by a massive margin, stands at or above 50% support in the latest polls in Iowa. The town hall was co-moderated by “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum. TRUMP TAKES THE STAGE IN IOWA FOR FOX NEWS TOWN HALL Trump took questions from Iowa voters on a number of issues, but said President Biden has brought “chaos” to the country. “They have chaos at the border. They have chaos in the military. People are going woke,” Trump said. “We have chaos now. Look at today with Hunter Biden going into Congress and just sitting down and the bedlam that’s been caused today. You have chaos.” Trump said the country has “more” chaos with Biden than under his presidency. “He can’t put two sentences together and he’s representing us on nuclear weapons with Putin and Xi and all of these very smart people—the media hates when I say they’re smart, but let me tell you, they’re very smart and they’re very cunning,” Trump said. “I think we had very little chaos,” Trump said, reflecting on his administration. “I think most of the chaos was caused by the Democrats constantly going after me.” Trump went on to point to the “phony Russia, Russia, Russia” investigation; his impeachments; and more. “They had the chaos. They were the ones that caused the chaos,” Trump said. “We didn’t have chaos.” Trump said that under his presidency, the United States saw the “biggest tax cuts in history” and “the biggest regulation cuts in history.” TRUMP STARTS 2024 IN ‘STRONGEST POSSIBLE POSITION’ IN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE “I had no wars. I’m the only president in 72 years—I didn’t have any wars,” Trump said. But Trump said Biden and Democrats use the “narrative” that he would bring chaos “because they have nothing else.” “The new narrative they have, as you know, is I’m going to be a dictator, because a guy like Biden, there’s nothing he can run on—everything he’s turned out, it’s turned out badly,” Trump said. Trump said under Biden, the border “is a disaster” and “the worst border in history.” “I think the worst border in the history of the world,” Trump said. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, border officials encountered nearly 2.5 million migrant encounters at the southern border–including 600,000 getaways, and 249 people on the terror watch list. The GOP frontrunner said that if elected, his second term would begin by “immediately” terminating “every open borders policy of the Biden administration.” In September, Trump announced his plans to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if he is elected to a second term. Additionally, he plans to “invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected Gang Members, drug dealers, or Cartel Members from the United States”—an effort he says will end the “scourge of illegal alien gang violence once and for all.” Meanwhile, Trump was asked to respond to Biden’s claims, and to say that political violence is “never acceptable.” “Well, of course, that’s right,” Trump said. “And of course, I’m the one who had very little of it. Take a look at wars again—I didn’t start—I wasn’t involved in wars. We beat the hell out of ISIS. We won 100%. We brought our troops back home.” He added: “Look at the violence that we’ve had recently.” COURT DATES AND PRIMARIES: TRUMP FACES COMPETING CALENDARS IN 2024 Trump went on to say that Biden’s presidency is “bedlam.” “You have a man who can’t lead. You have a man who can’t find his way off a stage after he makes a speech that lasts for about two minutes,” Trump said. “Now, I think bedlam is Joe Biden.” Trump said Biden is using a “political ploy” by claiming that he “wants to be a dictator.” But as for being a “dictator,” Trump joked that he would be—but only for one day. “I’m going to be a dictator for one day. We’re going to do two things: the border—we’re going to make it so tight, you can’t get in unless you come in legally—and the other, we’re going to drill, baby, drill,” Trump said. “After that, I’m not going to be a dictator after that. I’m not going to be a dictator.” TRUMP FIRES BACK AT JAN. 6 CRITICISM, SAYS BIDEN IS A ‘TRUE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ But Trump, who said he has “gotten to know Washington,” and who said “everybody wants to come work for us” in a possible second term, said he was “not going to have time for retribution.” “I’m not going to have time for retribution,” Trump said. “We’re going to make this country so successful again. I’m not going to have time for retribution.” He added: “And remember this, our ultimate retribution is success…There won’t be retribution. There will be success.” Moving onto the economy, Trump said it is “horrible, except the stock market’s going up.” “And I think the stock market’s got markets going up because I’m leading Biden in all of the polls– every poll, every single poll for in states that normally are not easy to lead,” Trump said. “But I would say this we have a situation in which I believe the stock market goes up because I’m leading. I think if I wasn’t leading, the stock market would be 25% lower. And I think, frankly, if I didn’t win, I think the stock market would crash.” Moderator Bret Baier pointed to comments Trump made this
Haley, DeSantis fire shots at Trump in head-to-head debate: ‘He did not deliver’
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went head-to-head in the fifth GOP presidential primary debate Wednesday night, but not without taking several shots at the front-runner in the race who was absent from the matchup – former President Donald Trump. Trump declined to attend the CNN debate in Iowa, as he has for previous debates, despite qualifying. The former president instead attended a town hall on Fox News Channel, which was also held in Des Moines, Iowa. Haley and DeSantis were asked whether Trump has the “character” to be president again. “I think the next president needs to have moral clarity,” responded Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor. “I think you need to have moral clarity to understand that it’s taxpayer money, not your own money. I think you need to have moral clarity to understand that when you’re dealing with dictators in the world, that we always have to fight for democracies and human rights and protecting Americans and preventing war.” CHRIS CHRISTIE DROPS OUT OF 2024 RACE, TAKES SHOTS AT HALEY WHILE ENDING REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN “So I don’t think that President Trump is the right president to go forward,” she said. “I think it’s time for a new generational leader that’s going to go and make America proud again.” “I wish Donald Trump was up here on this stage,” she added later. “He’s the one that I’m running against. He’s the one that I wish would be here. He needs to be defending his record.” DeSantis said Trump didn’t deliver on multiple campaign promises during his presidency on issues like bringing down the national debt and border security. “I appreciated what President Trump did, but let’s just be honest: He said he was going to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. He did not deliver that,” the governor said. “He said he was going to drain the swamp. He did not deliver that. He said he was going to hold Hillary accountable, and he let her off the hook. He said he was going to eliminate the debt and he added $7.8 trillion to the debt. So, we need to deliver and get this stuff done.” DeSantis later said that unlike Trump, he would have Mexico pay for a border wall as president. “We will build a wall,” he said. “We will actually have Mexico pay for it in the way that I thought Donald Trump was. We’re going to charge fees on remittances that workers send to foreign countries. Billions of dollars will build the wall.” “He also promised record deportations,” he continued. “Donald Trump deported fewer people than Barack Obama did when he was president. Biden has let in 8 million people just in four years. They all have to go back.” DeSantis also hit Trump for not showing up at the debate, saying, “Donald Trump should be on this stage.” “Every candidate needs to earn your vote,” he said. “Nobody’s entitled to your vote, and he comes in here every now, and then he does his spiel and then he leaves. I’ve shown up to all 99 counties because it’s important. You’re a servant of the people, you are not a ruler over people, and that’s the type of president that I will be.” The Trump campaign dismissed the attacks when reached by Fox News Digital Wednesday evening. “When two losers fighting for distant second place are cat fighting in front of 10 viewers on CNN, they don’t have a leg to stand on,” a spokesperson said. The debate came just five days before the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 voting calendar. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race just hours before the debate started. Christie, one of the most vocal Trump critics in the GOP, urged voters not to support the former president during his speech announcing his campaign’s suspension at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire. “I also know though, this is the right thing for me to do. Because I want to promise you this – I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambitions,” Christie said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Trump on potential 2024 VP pick: ‘I know who it’s going to be’
Former President Donald Trump signaled during an Iowa Town Hall event on Fox News Wednesday night that he has already decided who he will choose to be his running mate in 2024. “I can’t tell you that really, I mean, I know who it’s going to be,” Trump said when he was asked who his running mate will be in 2024. “We’ll do another show sometime,” Trump said when pushed by host Martha MacCallum to “give us a hint.” “What about any of the people who you’ve run against?” MacCallum asked. “Would you be open to mending fences with any of them?” OBAMA INCREASINGLY WORRIED ABOUT TRUMP BEATING BIDEN, REPORT SAYS: ‘INCALCULABLE DAMAGE’ “Oh, sure. I will, I will,” Trump responded. “I’ve already started to like Christie better.” “Christie for vice president?” MacCallum joked. TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS IOWA’S REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES APPROACH “I don’t see it, I don’t see it,” Trump said. “That would be an upset. Christie for vice president. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to announce, nah.” Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced earlier in the day that he has suspended his presidential campaign. Speculation about Trump’s potential running mate has run rampant in recent months with a variety of names being floated including GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace, South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s GOP opponent and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. The website OddsChecker.com currently lists Noem as the betting favorite followed GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Taiwan’s Gen Z voters want something new in Saturday’s election
Kaohsiung, Taiwan – On ‘Super Sunday’ as Taiwan’s three leading political parties converged on the southern city of Kaohsiung, 28-year-old Vivian and her nervous dog Kimmy stood together on the fringes of a rally for presidential candidate Ko Wen-je. Ko was once a mayor of Taipei, but he and his small Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has never held national office. That is no concern for his supporters. “I think that although Ko is a brand-new choice, judging from his policies and the debate, you can understand his logic,” Vivian told Al Jazeera, standing in a spill-over section at the crowded rally on January 7. “It makes it easy for me to understand what he wants to do.” Four years ago in the 2020 presidential election, Vivian, who did not want to share her full name, says she voted for the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). So did many other young people, who turned out in their droves and helped President Tsai Ing-wen win a second term in a landslide. But this time it is different. Vivian wants a change from the usual two-party competition between the DPP and Kuomintang (KMT), and that could be a worrying sign for this year’s DPP presidential candidate William Lai Ching-te. Some young people see the DPP and its candidate William Lai as part of the establishment [Daniel Ceng/EPA] Its appeal to young people – voters must be 20 or over in Taiwan – is the latest challenge for a political party that previously had to contend with problems like martial law, the once powerful KMT, which headed Taiwan from the 1940s until the year 2000, and several years in the political wilderness following the 2008 arrest of its first president, Chen Shui-bian on corruption charges. The DPP’s fortunes were revived by 2014’s Sunflower Movement, a pivotal student protest against a controversial trade deal that would have given Beijing more leverage over Taiwan. When the DPP absorbed many Sunflower activists and policy platforms, the party earned itself lasting popularity with many Millennials and eight years in the presidential palace. The party also learned a thing or two about marketing from its young supporters, rebranding technocrat Tsai into an “iron cat lady”, standing up to China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, while flanked by her various photogenic pets. Now a decade later, Taiwan’s next generation of Gen Z and younger Millennial voters born in the late 1990s and early 2000s are emerging as a political force, and they see the DPP not as the party of outsiders who can bring change, but as part of the establishment. The next generation steps up Some DPP members even have a name for this group of young voters: the mingzhu fuerdai or “second generation democracy”. The term is a play on fuerdai, a Mandarin Chinese word for people who grew up with inherited wealth – often the children or grandchildren of a hardworking entrepreneur. Ko Wen-je was once the mayor of Taipei, but some worry about his lack of political experience and leadership at a national level [Ann Wang/Reuters] In Taiwan, mingzhu fuerdai grew up long after the end of martial law in 1987 or the 1990 White Lily student movement that led to the island’s first democratic elections. These voters, from the minimum age of 20 to 29, make up more than 14 percent of the electorate, according to the Central Election Commission, with 2.8 million eligible voters out of the total of 19.5 million. They are followed by voters aged 30 to 39, who make up a slightly larger 16.5 percent, born shortly before Taiwan’s first democratic elections in 1996 or earlier, according to government data. Voters over 40 make up nearly 70 percent of the electorate. “Younger people don’t have experience fighting for democracy. The history of democracy in Taiwan is just in the textbook; they learn from it, but they don’t know how people like our president and actually many [others] fought for this,” 30-year-old DPP legislative candidate Huang Jie told Al Jazeera from her campaign office in Kaohsiung. Huang wondered whether this slight feeling of apathy might also be a sign of the success of Taiwan’s democracy; that people no longer have to fight for their political and civic freedoms. “Maybe it’s a good thing for the younger generation because they can enjoy freedom and democracy and they don’t need to think about it,” she said. This year’s campaign is being fought on mostly domestic issues, says Huang, while the regional and global events that shaped the 2020 election, such as Hong Kong’s democracy protests, have retreated into the background. The protests gave Taiwanese voters, however briefly, a glimpse of what a future could look like under Chinese rule, with images of young protesters battling riot police or being arrested afterwards. Many were fearful about what they saw. Supporters of Ko Wen-je, the Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate, say he represents a change to the established two-party system [Ann Wang/Reuters] Daily life concerns trump others Many of the concerns of young Taiwanese are similar to the problems faced by young people elsewhere in the world, like the rising cost of living in major cities and a housing market that favours the older generation over first-time buyers. Al Jazeera interviewed six people under 40 attending last Sunday’s political rallies in Kaohsiung, and all named affordable housing as a key concern – something the DPP has failed to resolve over the past eight years. Others may yearn for something different to Taiwan’s longstanding two-party system. “Many young people are tired of the old political culture based on the blue and green party culture,” said 31-year-old Huang Ching-in, a prominent member of the TPP and a Taipei City councillor, using common nicknames for the “blue” KMT and “green” DPP. “With the TPP, they see a different political model,” she said. Ko’s supporters on Sunday spoke of how they liked his direct communication style and his use of social media, particularly sites like YouTube that