Taiwan People's Party leader Huang Kuo-chang is drawing a sharp line between his party and the Kuomintang, framing the KMT as out of step with younger voters — a negative for KMT-TPP cooperation.

• A public vote on legalizing euthanasia failed because the KMT's lawmakers abstained, and Huang says the KMT must answer to voters for that.
• He argued both euthanasia and remote voting have strong backing from young and swing voters, and the TPP wants them decided by national referendum while the KMT said no.
• He cast the ruling DPP as reflexively opposing everything and abandoning the idea of direct democracy.
• On the newly passed central government budget, Huang rejected the DPP's warning of "irrational" cuts, saying funding for police, firefighter pensions and military pay was legally required and never actually shortchanged.
• He plans to escort retired police and firefighters to the Executive Yuan on the 20th to demand Premier Cho Jung-tai explain the pension shortfall.

Outlook: Expect the TPP to keep positioning itself as an independent force separate from both major parties heading into future elections.