BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2022) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which supports Taiwan's independence, has lost local elections, official voting results from the island's Central Election Commission show.
According to the election commission, the turnout at the Saturday elections was 60%, with people having voted for 11,000 local government positions, including the top posts in 21 of Taiwan's cities and counties.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT, or Kuomintang) won control of 13 cities and counties (including key mayoral seats in Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung), official results from the election commission show, and is expected to win in Chiayi City, where mayoral election have been postponed until December 18 after a candidate passed away at the start of this month.
The elected candidates will take office on December 25.
Earlier, Taiwan's Central news Agency reported that Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen announced her resignation as head of the DPP after suffering a major loss in the local elections. The DPP won only five city mayor and county chief seats.
The Saturday voting is seen as a litmus test for the independence-minded DPP's political course ahead of the 2024 race to elect Taiwan's next chief administrator. The Kuomintang has been described as pro-China, although it refutes the label.
