As for the pan-green camp, the victory in the Kaohsiung race shows the depth of DPP support in southern Taiwan.
However, Hu warned that the party received only 35 percent of the vote in the Taipei mayoral election, matching the proportion of DPP supporters in the capital.
He said the ruling party has lost the support of non-partisans, who supported the DPP during Chen's tenure as Taipei mayor, adding that the result is related to the poor performance of the central government.
He said that Chen will have to make progress in governing if he wants to run for a second term as president. Chen will have to avoid blunders such as the flip-flops on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and the reform of farmers' and fishermen's credit cooperatives -- mistakes that Hu said have seriously damaged the government's credibility.
Meanwhile, the pro-independence TSU's failure to take advantage of former president Lee Teng-hui's (
Taipei Society Chairman Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華) said the TSU must learn from the New Party's example if it is to have any influence in the next presidential election.
"Lee's overexposure has already reduced his influence and the TSU needs to immediately start a restructuring plan or the party will dissolve as soon as Lee retires from politics," Ku said.
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