DPP scores 3 by-election wins


http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=95127&ctNode=445




* Publication Date：03/01/2010
* Source： China Times

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party capitalized on voter dissatisfaction with the central government to win three of four seats in Taiwan’s legislative by-elections Feb. 27.

The DPP took Chiayi, Hsinchu and Taoyuan counties, while the KMT clung on to Hualien County.

According to the Cabinet-level Central Elections Commission, former Chiayi County Magistrate Chen Ming-wen defeated the KMT’s Lin Te-jui in Chiayi County’s second electoral district, while DPP candidate Peng Shao-chin trumped KMT rival Cheng Yung-tang in Hsinchu County.

In a closely fought race, incumbent DPP Taoyuan County Councilor Huang Jen-chu edged out KMT candidate Chen Hsueh-sheng by just 2,763 votes in the county’s third electoral district.

The KMT’s sole victory was in Hualien County, where candidate Wang Ting-sheng overcame DPP opponent Hsiao Bi-khim with a margin of 6,130 votes.

Voter turnout rates were 38.36 percent in Chiayi County, 36 percent in Hsinchu County, 41.59 percent in Hualien County and 41.37 percent in Taoyuan County, the CEC said.

All four legislative vacancies filled in Saturday’s by-election were left open when then-legislators Chang Hwa-kuan from Chiayi County, Chiu Ching-chun from Hsinchu County, Fu Kun-chi from Hualien County and Wu Chih-yang from Taoyuan County, were elected county magistrates in their respective constituencies Dec. 5, 2009.

The weekend’s electoral result was widely seen as another setback for the KMT following its worse-than-expected performance in local elections last December and its defeat in legislative by-elections earlier last month. It is believed the KMT now faces an uphill battle to outperform the DPP in the year-end municipal elections. (CHY-JSM)

Are voter turnout rates counted by total population or voting age population in Taiwan? Because those are some very low turnout rates, and seems to imply that most people don't care about politics.

For a legislative election that doesn't take place at the end of the year, and doesn't take place in an election year, these are pretty decent and typical turnout rates.

Perhaps, but it disturbs me nonetheless.

I'm sure it's average for a democracy. I think the United States has a similar average turnout for a low-key election like this, and this isn't even a midterm election.

Japanese dog!