China Briefing | Taiwan's electoral landslide triggered by shifting local ground
The KMT's drubbing is down to its domestic economic fumbling and not its cross-strait stand
Long before Taiwan's 18 million-plus registered voters went to the polls for local elections on Saturday, they were widely expected to teach Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and his ruling Kuomintang a big lesson.
But as the results showed, the voters had more than just a lesson in mind - they handed out a whipping.
The KMT was trounced, losing control of districts across the island, including the key strongholds of Taipei and Taichung. Of the 22 key cities and counties, the KMT won only six, down from the 15 it held before the elections. Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party won 13, up from six. The rest were claimed by independents, including Dr Ko Wen-je, a straight-talking medic who ran for Taipei mayor with the DPP's backing.
Taiwan's premier, Jiang Yi-huah, resigned to take the blame while Ma promised changes. The speculation now is that Ma will soon step down as head of the KMT but stay on as president until his term expires in 2016.
The results compounded expectations that the KMT will lose the presidential poll in two years' time.
Understandably, many overseas media, including some in Hong Kong, saw Saturday's elections as a referendum on Taiwan's relations with the mainland. Some pan-democrats in Hong Kong were quick to say that Beijing's tough stand on political reforms in the city - which set off more than two months of protests - exacerbated unease among Taiwanese voters about closer ties with Beijing.