THE hold of the KMT on the three most vital local governments in Taiwan is on the line today.
President Lee, also chairman of the KMT, said yesterday: 'The first election of the [Taiwan] provincial governor in over 40 years and the direct election of municipal mayors [for Taipei and Kaohsiung] is a new milestone in our realisation of local autonomy and popular sovereignty.' Mr Lee urged all sides to 'rationally accept the results . . . and allow our society to leave behind intense emotions and reattain harmony.' The election marks the first time that executive posts with major power, long held by the KMT by fiat, are put at risk, giving rise to the claim by the DPP that Taiwanese will have their first chance to choose their local executives in 'the first battle in 400 years'.
Loss of the mayoral post in Taipei would be embarrassing, but losing the Taiwan governorship could threaten the KMT's majority in the Legislative Yuan, set to be re-elected in late 1995.
If DPP candidate Chen Ting-nan effectively implements promises to 'curb corruption' and improve administrative efficiency, the result could boost the DPP's hopes to contest Taiwan's first direct presidential election in early 1996.
Ruling party officials express confidence. Tu Teh-chi, organisation director for the KMT, has said that appointed incumbent Taiwan governor James Soong would win by as many as 500,000 votes of an anticipated eight million. Mr Tu said yesterday that the KMT was confident of winning the two mayoral posts, but admitted that 'anything could happen'.
But Lin Yu-hsiang, deputy director of the KMT's policy research committee, said 'The KMT's key cards are its organisational mobilisation, its theme of 'stability' and the women vote, which is likely to go to Mr Soong because his face is well known and as many women voters desire stability.' Mr Lin said the DPP's strengths lie in the rising surge of candidate Legislator and former Ilan county mayor Chen Ting-nan, the unspoken ethnic appeal for 'Taiwanese to vote for Taiwanese' and the DPP's call for senior citizen pensions.
