Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/06
By: Chen Chun-hua and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) New Taipei City, which has 12 legislative seats up for grabs and is known as a bellwether municipality, has emerged as a battleground ahead of the January 2020 elections, drawing the attention of the presidential candidates and other major figures in the country's two main political parties.

Currently, nine of the 12 legislative seats in New Taipei are held by the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), two by the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and one by the New Power Party (NPP).

During the recent two terms that the KMT was in power, from 2008-2016, it held a similar majority of legislative seats as the DPP now does in New Taipei, which indicates that the city may be something of a pacesetter.

For the upcoming elections, the election calculus is further complicated by the participation of smaller parties, including Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) Taiwan People's Party and the NPP, as well as several independent candidates.    [FULL  STORY]