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Slight shifts in political geography

By Chiu Yu-Tzu
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Dec 12, 2004, Page 5

Supporters of New Party legislator-elect Wu Chen-tian wave New Party, People First Party and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) flags outside Wu's Kinmen headquarters to celebrate the pan-blues' win. PHOTO: WU CHENG-TING, TAIPEI TIMES

The political geography was little changed yesterday as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), failed to boost their local standings.

Taipei City residents did not enthusiastically take part in the election. Statistics showed only 61 per-cent of voters cast ballots.

In northern Taipei City, or district one, the pan-green camp and the pan-blue camp split the 10 seats down the middle. But the district was the only place the DPP's ballot-allocation strategy worked.

In district two, the pan-blue camp of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party (PFP) and New Party, retained their strong influence.

The KMT and the DPP each won three seats, the PFP took two and the TSU won one. Independent Li Ao (李敖), a writer and political commentator, won the remaining seat.

The KMT's Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) won the most votes overall in district two -- 70,000. The DPP's Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) placed second in the overall vote count, with 65,000.

In Taipei County, the DPP held onto its 11 seats but its ally didn't fare as well. The TSU lost one of the two seats it had gained in 2001 election. The pan-blue camp added three more seats to the 13 it won in 2001 for a total of 16. KMT candidate Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) was the top vote-getter, not only in the county but in the country as a whole, winning 73,000 ballots.

Although President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) tried to rope in KMT Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) during the campaign with deals related to the Guggenheim museum proposal, the pan-green camp failed to boost its standing in central Taiwan.

In Taichung City, the pan-green and the pan-blues evenly split the eight seats being contested.

In Yunlin County, the pan-greens gained some ground, although the election was affected by the arrest of former county commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) on Friday. His sister Chang Li-shan (張麗善), running as an independent, gained more than 51,000 ballots, far more than the other candidates.

The pan-greens added one seat to the two they won in the country in 2001 with the victory of TSU councilwoman Yin Lin-in (尹伶瑛). KMT candidates won the other two seats.

In Chiayi County, the DPP safeguarded its three seats by taking 63 percent of the vote, while a KMT candidate won the other seat.

In Tainan County, home not only to President Chen but fanatic pan-green supporters, the DPP held onto its five seats by taking al-most half the votes. The KMT won two seats and an independent candidate took the remaining seat.

In Tainan City, the pan-green camp lost one of the four seats won in 2001 as the TSU's candidate lost. The KMT won two seats and a PFP candidate won one.

In the two electoral districts of Kaohsiung City, the pan-greens gained about 53 percent of the vote, a significantly improvement over the 48 percent won in 2001.

The DPP's Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) came in first in the north of the city, with 55,000 votes. Lee's colleague Huang Chao-hui (黃昭輝) placed first in the southern district with 49,000 votes.

But the pan-green's vote-allocation strategy didn't work in the southern dis-trict, where they lost one seat. The greens won seven seats, the KMT took two and the PFP won two.

In Pingtung County, the DPP lost one of its four seats. The KMT won two seats and and an independent candidate took one.

In eastern Taiwan, the pan-blues continued their tradition of strong showings. In Taitung County, KMT Legislator Huang Chien-ting (黃健庭) safeguarded his job even though PFP County Commissioner Hsu Ching-yuan (徐慶元) had supported the DPP's candidate.

In Hualien County, DPP Legislator Lu Po-chi (盧博基) and PFP Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) each won a seat, continuing the balance of power at local level.

In offshore counties, independents and other candidates did well. Penghu County's sole seat was won by Lin Ping-kun (林炳坤) of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU). In Kinmen County, New Party Legislator Wu Cheng-tien (吳成典) kept his job. In Lienchiang County -- Matsu -- independent Chao Erh-chung (曹爾忠), a former three-term lawmaker, won.

Four Aboriginal candidates were elected in plains townships. The DPP's Chen Ying (陳瑩) became the first directly elected Aboriginal legislator. Two KMT candidates and a PFP member won. The four mountain township seats were won by two KMT candidates, one PFP member and an independent candidate.
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