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KMT crushes DPP in landslide victory

Supporters of Chou Hsi-wei, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate for Taipei County Commissioner, yesterday celebrate Chou's victory by waving Republic of China flags outside Chou's campaign headquarters. PHOTO: LIN CHIN-CHI, TAIPEI TIMES

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won a resounding victory over the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in yesterday's local government elections, in a win attributed to voter unhappiness with the DPP's poor performance and entanglement in recent scandals.

The KMT won 14 out of 23 city and county constituencies, while the DPP -- which previously controlled 9 counties and cities -- won just six seats.

Among the constituencies that changed hands from the DPP to the KMT were the traditional pan-green strongholds of Taipei and Ilan Counties. The DPP also lost Chiayi City, long an anti-KMT sanctuary during the days of Martial Law and the dangwai democracy movement.

"This is not a triumph for the KMT but for the Taiwanese people," KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in a victory speech last night. "The DPP was not defeated by the KMT, but by itself."

Ma had said that he would resign if his party failed to get at least 11 candidates elected in the commissioner and mayoral polls.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang, third right, Premier Frank Hsieh, second right, and Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun, right, bow their heads at DPP headquarters last night to apologize to supporters for the party's poor performance. PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES

Yesterday's vote was called a "three-in-one" election because it combined county commissioner and city mayor elections, county and city councilor elections and township chief elections.

Although yesterday's elections were local government polls, the ruling and opposition parties considered the results crucial to gaining momentum ahead of the 2008 presidential election, raising the stakes in the contest.

In two key races, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉) gave up Taipei County to the KMT's Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), and DPP's Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) conceded defeat to his KMT rival, Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華), in Ilan County.

Relentless attacks

Although the KMT has often been criticized for its poor campaign strategy, analysts attributed the party's success to its relentless criticism of the government's poor record and tenacious pursuit of a recent string of scandals, including the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal and the "vultures" insider-trading case.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who said that he would resign as chairman if Luo lost in Taipei County, or if the party failed to win at least 10 seats in the commissioner and mayoral polls, offered to resign last night.

Su said that his party accepted the election results, and he called on the public to continue to have faith in the DPP.

"The DPP has lost one election, but Taiwan cannot lose," Su said.

To express their regret over the defeat and accept responsibility for the outcome, Su, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun and Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) bowed to the public three times.

66 percent turnout

The DPP garnered about 3.7 million votes -- around 42 percent of the total, while the KMT received 4.5 million votes, or about 51 percent. The Central Election Commission estimated the turnout to be approximately 66 percent of registered voters.

The DPP held on to its southern strongholds of Pingtung County, Tainan City and county and Kaohsiung County, while the KMT took control in northern, central and eastern Taiwan.

Three remote counties on outlying islands remained loyal to the pan-blue camp, with Penghu, Kinmen County and Lienchiang County -- the official administrative title for the Matsu archipelago -- all firmly controlled by the pan-blue alliance. Kinmen County went to the New Party, while Lienchiang County went to the PFP and Penghu went to the KMT.

The People First Party (PFP) captured one district, while the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) came out of yesterday's vote empty-handed.

Blue north

In northern Taiwan, the KMT seized control in six districts, including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties as well as Hsinchu and Keelung Cities. The DPP captured none.

In central Taiwan, the KMT obtained six seats in Taichung, Changhua and Nantou counties and Taichung and Chiayi cities. The DPP captured Yunlin County and held on to Chiayi County.

Eastern Taiwan, which has long been controlled by the KMT, remained a pan-blue stronghold.

Hualien County went to the KMT, while a scandal-plagued former KMT member also won in Taitung County as an independent candidate.

Taitung Council Speaker Wu Chun-li (吳俊立) defeated two independent candidates to hold on to his seat. Wu, however, may be suspended from his post in accordance with the Law on Local Government Systems (地方制度法).

He was convicted of corruption by the High Court but has appealed the ruling. He has also been charged with vote-buying but is out on NT$1 million (US$29,800) bail.
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