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Combined polls bolster democracy at local level

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) only managed to win six seats in the Dec. 3 local elections, and certain elements within the party have been suggesting that the three-in-one format of the elections was to blame. The thinking goes that the DPP, with its relative paucity of resources, overextended itself.

However, my reading of the situation is different, and I think this synopsis fails to address the problems within the party and ignores changes in the nature of local councils that have resulted from the elections. I fear this is a mistake. Everyone seems to be preoccupied with the number of county and city council seats won, and by whom. However, I would like to look at the effect of the polls on council politics, from the point of view of someone who is involved on the local level.

Let's start with voter turnout. As much as 66 percent of the electorate voted this time, compared with 55 percent in the previous local elections four years ago, a significant difference of 11 percentage points. Last time, voter turnout didn't even reach the 50 percent mark in 44 electoral districts around Taiwan, a quarter of all electoral districts. This time, however, the rate topped 70 percent in 62 districts, and voter turnout fell below the 50 percent mark in only two districts.

Voter turnout is an indicator of people's involvement in politics. The significant increase in the number of people voting in the local elections not only represents a marked improvement in current voting behavior, it might also signal an increased willingness on the part of the electorate to supervise and scrutinize the quality of their councils, and to take more interest in public services offered on the local level. This is the most obvious benefit of holding the three elections simultaneously.

Secondly we are seeing party politics take shape in local councils. The number of independent council members has fallen from 36 last time to 25; they now represent less than a third of the total. The number of council seats for the DPP, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union increased by 45, 12 and four, respectively. This heralds the coming of the era of party politics in local councils. In the future we will see less of individuals working for their own interests: This will make for a more responsible political system.

But there are other differences. If we look at the results more closely, we find that the majority of candidates who relied on vote buying or loyalty votes -- and who had previously been able to take advantage of low voter turnout to win elections with relatively few votes -- lost their seats because of the higher voter turnout. On the other hand, there were those who did very well by manipulating their image, gaining popularity through bringing the government to task, or unexpectedly picking up large amounts of "empty votes."

The elections showed us the qualitative requirements of the three-in-one format, but it still remains for parties to guide councilors on how they conduct politics and execute their duties.

It is inappropriate to view the outcome of the elections in terms of success or failure for a particular party. If party leaders are inclined to do this, they are either groping for excuses for failure, or overplaying their own importance in the scheme of things.

Whether holding the elections simultaneously was the correct thing to do rests on whether we see local politics moving in a more democratic direction. From my own experience in local politics, I can see that in a few years, the three-in-one format will no longer be regarded as the reason for the DPP's defeat in these elections. Instead, it will be seen as one of the rare instances of a good decision made by the DPP government in recent years.

Chiu Li-li is a DPP Tainan City councilor.

TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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