Elections in Kaohsiung and Taipei yesterday resulted in a consolidation of power by the nation's two main political parties, as voters largely ignored a series of high-profile scandals and voted along traditional party lines.
Although many observers, especially in the international media, were depicting the poll as a "referendum" on the president and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), this was clearly not the case, as the election maintained the current balance of power in the cities' mayorships and city councils. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) retained its hold on the Taipei mayorship, while the DPP's candidate won in Kaohsiung.
Notably, the DPP as well as the KMT picked up city council seats in both Taipei and Kaohsiung as they ate away at the minority of seats held by independents and smaller parties.
The People First Party (PFP) -- whose members have been among the most strident critics of the president -- was eviscerated at the polls, losing nearly two-thirds of its council seats in the special municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, the nation's two largest cities.
In Taipei, KMT candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) captured the mayorship by a 12.92 percentage point margin over his DPP opponent, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- a one-time presidential contender -- won a meager 4 percent of the vote.
In Kaohsiung, DPP candidate Chen Chu (陳菊) won the mayorship by a 0.14 percent margin -- only 1,114 votes more than KMT candidate Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英).
TAIPEI CITY COUNCIL
In the Taipei City Council, the KMT remains the biggest party, while the pan-blue camp retains a majority with 11 seats more than the pan-green camp.
The KMT gained four seats, bringing its total to 24, while the DPP also gained a seat, leaving it with 18 of the council's 52 seats. The PFP was the biggest loser of the Taipei poll, shedding six of the eight seats it previously held, leaving it with only two.
The pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) made gains in Taipei by winning two seats; it previously held none.
The pro-unification New Party lost a single seat, dropping its number to four. The final two seats in the Taipei City Council will still be held by independents.
KAOHSIUNG CITY COUNCIL
Of the 44 Kaohsiung City Council seats, the KMT had the largest gain, winning 17 seats -- five more than it won in 2002. The DPP gained one seat, raising its total to 15, while the PFP lost three seats, leaving it with only four. The TSU lost one of the five seats it previously held, while the number of independent councilors fell from nine to seven.
The independent candidates will hold the balance of power between the 16-seat green camp and the blue camp's 21 seats.
KAOHSIUNG MAYORSHIP
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chu defeated her KMT counterpart Huang Chun-ying in yesterday's election.
Chen Chu obtained 379,417 votes, while Huang earned 378,303 votes, according to the Kaohsiung City Election Commission.
Chen Chu is the first female mayor of a special municipality.
"Although this was a tough battle, what I saw was the continuity of democracy," she said.
Chen Chu's campaign headquarters announced her victory and lit fireworks after she had secured around 380,000 votes.
Hundreds of Chen Chu's supporters overwhelmed the headquarters long before 4pm, the voting deadline.
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