Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/27
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan 

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Saturday’s local government elections have forced the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to reflect on its failures and given the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) the chance to make a comeback ahead of presidential and legislative elections in January 2020, analysts said.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the KMT garnered 6.1 million votes (48.79 percent) in the elections for 22 city mayor and county magistrates, surpassing the DPP’s 4.90 million votes (39.16 percent).

In winning 15 of the 22 seats up for grabs, including three of the six special municipalities — New Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung — the KMT received 1.11 million more votes than it did when it crashed to defeat in the last local polls in 2014.

The DPP lost 1.20 million votes compared with 2014 if the votes received both times by re-elected independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are taken into consideration, and it also lost seven of the 13 seats it held previously.
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