Reuters and numerous press agencies reported that on Nov. 26, according to preliminary results, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was soundly defeated by the opposition party, Kuomintang (KMT), in mayoral and city council elections. The DPP now controls only 5 out of the 21 local government offices, whereas the KMT won key mayoral races in Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the DPP, which had been banking on a strategy of promoting tensions between Beijing and Taipei, as part of the oligarchs’ plans to threaten China with destabilization.
She will continue to serve as President until the next elections in 2024, but term limitations prevent her from running again.
Reuters reported, “China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the result showed that mainstream Taiwanese public opinion was for peace, stability and ‘a good life,’ and that Beijing would keep working with Taiwan’s people to promote peaceful relations and to oppose Taiwan independence and foreign interference.”
The British news agency quoted KMT Chairman Eric Chu about the victory: “‘We will insist on defending the Republic of China and protecting democracy and freedom,’ he told reporters, using Taiwan’s official name. ‘We will also work hard to keep regional peace.’”
(Historical notes: On the distinctions between local and national elections, it is worth recalling that the DPP, after winning the 2016 presidency, saw similarly poor results in the 2018 local elections, before securing a major victory in 2020, including Tsai’s re-election. It is also worth remembering that among DPP members, Tsai’s stance toward mainland China is relatively moderate. Vice President Lai, for example, is more strongly in favor of independence.)
