At home, the chief challenge for the soft-spoken Mr Ma is to assert control with a party, full of political thugs, in which he lacks a powerful base.

• 在岛内，一向温和的马英九的最大问题是如何建立对国民党本身的控制。国民党派系林立关系复杂，而马英九在党内并没有一个强有力的政治基础。