Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has submitted her resignation from the leadership of the ruling Progressive Democratic Party, taking responsibility for its poor performance in local elections.
The largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), won the Taipei municipality, a defeat for President Tsai Ing-wen, who had linked the local elections to a standoff with Beijing. Elections and regional elections are usually about domestic and local issues, such as dealing with Covid-19 and crime, and elected officials do not have a say on the island's policy towards China.
Both the DPP and KMT focused their election campaigns in rich, densely populated northern Taiwan, particularly in the capital Taipei, whose outgoing mayor (from the small People's Party) could not run for office again due to term limits.
"I let them all down," DPP candidate Chan Shih-chung told supporters, adding that he called his rival Wayne Chiang to congratulate him.
The KMT leads or has already won 13 of 21 municipalities and districts, compared to only five for the DPP.
The DPP scored a sweeping victory in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, promising to stand up to China and defend Taiwan's freedoms. The next presidential election will be held in 2024 and Tsai, after two terms, cannot run again.
Source: APM
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