The results of Saturday’s nine-in-one elections represented a failure of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), not a victory for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said on Sunday.
The KMT must not misread the situation and must continue to reform itself to win back votes from the DPP, Ko said.
The KMT won mayoral races in 15 counties and cities, up from six, while the DPP won only six, down from 13.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Key KMT candidates, including Kaohsiung mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and New Taipei City mayor-elect Hou You-yi (侯友宜), are different from typical KMT politicians, Ko said, adding that the two relied on their unique personalities.
“The outcome shows that people do not like the DPP, but that does not necessarily mean they like the KMT. This is something the party must realize,” she said.
KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the biggest reason for the DPP’s losses was a change in public sentiment.
All of the DPP’s actions since the party took office helped the campaigns of KMT candidates, Wang said.
KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said that voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the DPP, but not necessarily their approval of the KMT.
The KMT must urgently get to work turning dissatisfied DPP supporters into KMT supporters before the 2020 presidential election, Lin said.
The KMT must reform and should learn from Han’s campaign success, which would include better engagement with voters online and more emphasis on the charisma of individual candidates, he said, adding that the party could not rely on its traditional organizational strategies.
A source within the KMT who asked to remain anonymous said that there was hope that older members would soon retire.
However, the party’s successes on Saturday means that older members would probably join the 2020 elections rather than retire, the source said.
The boost in morale that Han has given party members means there will likely be an explosion in the number of KMT members who want to enter the party’s 2020 nomination process, the source said, adding that the party would be obligated ensure a fair competition.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716