Election results point to weakening of KMT's grip

THE Kuomintang (KMT) won local elections in Taiwan at the weekend, but the results point to a significant weakening of the ruling party's hold over basic level government and may toss a new variable into the year-end campaign for the governorship of Taiwanprovince.

At stake were 309 smaller city and township mayoral posts and 858 seats in the island's 21 counties and major cities. These posts are pivotal for determining the distribution of economic and political resources, thus are hotly contested by financial and political factions, operating inside or outside Taiwan's main parties.

The massive amount of central government money going into major infrastructure projects makes influence over basic government even more critical for real estate and construction interests.

The KMT has almost monopolised these elections in the past. And retaining control over local governments and councils is also critical for the party as it prepares for a series of major elections in the coming two years.

After a 10-day official campaign marred by even higher levels of election-related violence and reports of vote-buying than last November's county and major city mayoral ballot, the KMT retained control, but far less convincingly than in the last similar ballot in January 1990.

According to official figures, KMT nominees won 214 of the 309 small city and township mayoral posts with 59.5 per cent of the vote, compared with 263 seats previously. KMT standard-bearers took 516 county or major city assembly seats, down from 588, with 55.2 per cent of the vote.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), on the other hand, made major breakthroughs in demonstrating its growing strength at the basic level. Not the least of the main opposition party's gains was securing more than 15 per cent of the popular vote in small district elections in which it is at a major disadvantage given the KMT's massive organisational and financial resources.

The DPP also boosted its local mayorships from six to at least 21, including the major industrial suburbs of Sanchung near Taipei and Fengyuan near Taichung. The pro-independence party also almost doubled its representation in city and county councils from 48 to 92.

Even the Chinese New Party scored a symbolic triumph by successfully contesting eight county and city council seats, thus breaking out of its image as being confined to the Legislative Yuan.

Non-affiliated candidates, which include both a large number of fence-sitters as well as supporters of both the KMT and DPP, gained 74 mayoralties (25.7 per cent of the vote) and 242 assembly seats with 27.4 per cent of the ballots.

An alarming sign for the KMT was the continued erosion in its share of the popular vote from nearly 62 per cent in January 1990 to 55.2 per cent in the council elections and from 72 per cent to 59.5 per cent in the mayoral balloting.

But the KMT's most important setback came in losing its majorities in four county and major city assemblies, including Chiayi City, Kaohsiung County, Tainan County, and Tainan City.