Taiwan’s ruling DPP party suffers big defeat in local elections

BEIJING: President Tsai Ing-wen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which supports Taiwan’s independence, suffered a major defeat in Saturday's local elections.

Following the defeat, Tsai resigned as head of her ruling party. The DPP won only five city mayor and county chief seats reported Sputnik, quoting Taiwan’s Central News Agency report.

According to the island’s Central Election Commission, the turnout at the Saturday elections was 60 per cent, with people having voted for 11,000 local government positions, including the top posts in 21 of Taiwan’s cities and counties.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT, or Kuomintang) won control of 13 cities and counties (including key mayoral seats in Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung), official results from the election commission show, and is expected to win in Chiayi City, where mayoral election have been postponed until Dec 18 after a candidate passed away at the start of this month.

The elected candidates will take office on Dec 25.

The Saturday voting is seen as a litmus test for the independence-minded DPP’s political course ahead of the 2024 race to elect Taiwan's next chief administrator. The Kuomintang has been described as pro-China, although it refutes the label.-AFP

from Highlights https://ift.tt/PXNDZns
via IFTTT