Houston Community News >> Taiwan Election Results

12/9/2006 Taiwan-- Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party (KMT) won an overwhelming victory in a mayoral election in the capital Taipei on Saturday, while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party secured its control over the southern city Kaohsiung by a razor thin margin.

The mayoral elections in the two key municipalities directly administered by the central government were widely seen as a no-confidence vote on President Chen Shui-bian, with Chen and his wife currently embroiled in corruption scandals that show no sign of ending soon.

In Taipei, KMT candidate Hau Lung-bin garnered 692,085 votes, or 53.81 percent, largely ahead of two major contenders -- Frank Hsieh of the DPP and James Soong of the smaller People First Party, according to the Taipei Election Commission.
''This is a battle where the uncorrupt KMT defeats the corrupt DPP,'' Hau told the cheering crowd at the campaign headquarters. ''This is not my own victory, but a victory for all the citizens of Taipei.''

Scholar-turned politician, Hau, 54, was invited by the DPP government to be head of the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration in 2001. Hau successfully managed an environmental as well as diplomatic crisis triggered by a Greek cargo ship that ran aground near the southern tip of the island and caused the most serious oil spill incident in Taiwan.
Hau stepped down in 2003 due to disagreements with the DPP over a highway project, which Hau argued may bring about an environmental impact to the rural area near Taipei.

In Kaohsiung, DPP's Chen Chu gained 379,417 votes, or 49.41 percent, a 0.14 lead over his KMT rival Huang Chun-ying.
Chen thanked her supporters, pledging to lead the industrial port city to a better future.

''I understand that I will be carrying great responsibility in the following years and will strive to meet Kaohsiung people's expectations,'' she said amid applauses and blaring horns.

The voter turnout was 64.52 percent in Taipei and 67.93 percent in Kaohsiung, much lower than four years ago.
Apart from the mayoral elections, KMT-nominated candidates won big for Taipei's 51-seat city council and Kaohsiung's 43-seat city council.

In the wake of Chen's declaration of victory in Kaohsiung, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou expressed regret over Huang's loss.
''Huang is a decent candidate who has survived vote-buying, defamation and character assassination launched by his rivals in the battle,'' Ma noted. ''He has won our respect and has become a good pattern in the elections.''

Huang's camp has decided to challenge the result by seeking a recount and the annulment of Chen's election.
On top of that, it also plans to file a suit against President Chen, who allegedly violated campaign laws by openly accusing Huang earlier in the day of vote-buying but providing no sufficient evidence.

The DPP victory in Kaohsiung will certainly hearten lots of party members, where morale has been relatively low since December last year when the party suffered crushing setbacks in islandwide magistrate elections.

Chen Chu, 56, a former political dissident who spent six years in jail, had served as labor minister until she quit late last year over a riot by Thai workers employed for Kaohsiung's subway project.

Since campaigning kicked off, KMT's Ma had hoped that heavy losses by the DPP, especially in Kaohsiung where support for the party used to be solid, would embarrass President Chen and force him to quit.

Last month, prosecutors indicted the president's wife and three aides on charges of corruption and forgery in connection with the embezzlement of state funds.

President Chen, who defeated the KMT candidate in the 2000 presidential election on an anti-corruption platform, is also suspected of graft and forgery, but is protected by presidential immunity.

Ironically, however, Ma, who is widely considered the KMT standard bearer in the 2008 presidential election, was also questioned recently by prosecutors over his mishandling of special allowances.

Although Ma, the outgoing Taipei mayor, apologized for the mistake as the result of an oversight, the damage was done with Huang in Kaohsiung, who took a sizable lead at the onset of the campaign, but became entangled in a tough race which led to his defeat.

(Contributed by Kyodo News)