2005–06 Taiwanese local elections

The Election of County Magistrates, County Councilmen, and Township Governors was held in the Taiwan on December 3, 2005 for mayors of province-administered cities, magistrates of counties, members of county and city councils, and head of townships, towns and county-administered cities. The elections were not held in the centrally-administered cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung. They were the first elections after Ma Ying-jeou assumed chairmanship of the opposition Kuomintang in August 2005.

The largest opposition party at the national level – the Kuomintang – replaced the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as the largest party at local level. The Kuomintang, together with other smaller parties in opposition, won control of 16 of the 23 counties and province-administered cities, most of the city and county councils, as well as most of the townships, towns and county-administered cities.

The party chairman of DPP Su Tseng-chang resigned following his promise one the eve of the elections. The Premier Frank Hsieh has also submitted his resignation to President Chen Shui-bian. Ma Ying-jeou has similarly pleged to resign if the KMT failed to win at least half the magistrate and mayor positions and the results were considered a sign of confidence of Ma's leadership reinforced his position in the bid for the presidency in the 2008 presidential election.

Background

The contest was seen as a litmus test for the governing Democratic Progressive Party and the incumbent President Chen Shui-bian in the wake of damaging scandals affecting their image. It was also a test for the popularity of the leading opposition party Kuomintang, which Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou assumed the chairmanship in August 2005.

Detailed results

76 candidates competed for the positions as mayors or magistrates of the 23 province-administered cities and counties, 1,690 competed for membership in the city or county councils, and 1786 for the 319 leadership for townships, towns and county-administered cities.

External links

• Central Election Commission: 2005 Multi-Election - full results
• The China Post
  • KMT wins in a landslide
  • Ma wins his last-minute gamble
  • DPP: Defeat a major setback
• Taipei Times
  • KMT crushes DPP in landslide victory
  • KMT makes history in Chiayi City

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