ELECTION SHOWDOWN

Both are facing a crucial test in the first major election showdown after Tsai became the first woman to take over the DPP helm and Ma assumed presidency in May 2008, then retook the KMT chairmanship just a couple of months earlier.

Ma urged voters to go to the polls for KMT candidates and show their support for his push for reforms.

Under Ma's leadership, the KMT turned more selective in the nomination procedures by weeding out aspirants with questionable backgrounds, although they were backed by local political factions and they could cause severe divisions among the party's supporters.

Maintaining a frenzy schedule, Ma attended a ceremony in eastern Hualien County in the morning to launch an electrification project for the eastern railway system.

He later went on to southern Taitung, then to northeastern Yilan County before proceeding to Hsinchu County. The KMT candidates in Hualien and Hsinchu were threatened by expelling party members who insisted to stay in the race despite losing the nominations in the primaries.

Ma called for solidarity of supporters by giving their ballots to the party's legitimate candidates instead of creating opportunities for contestants from other parties.

He returned to Yilan again to take part at big rally later in the evening for candidate Lu Kuo-hua, who is seeking reelection after winning the county magistrate seat in the previous election by defeating the candidate of the DPP which had held power in the county for two decades.

There are 17 city and county seats up for grabs in the elections, including Hsinchu, Chiayi and Keelung cities and Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Hualien, Yilan, Taitung, Kinmen, Lienchiang (Matsu), Penghu, Pingtung and Taoyuan counties.

At present, the KMT holds 14 of the 17 seats, while the DPP controls the other three in Chiayi, Yunlin and Pingtung counties.

Chan Chuen-po, KMT vice chairman and secretary general, expressed optimism over the party's chances of taking 11 of the 17 seats available.

However, the other six seats are more “difficult” with Hsinchu, Yilan and Chiayi counties listed as the “most unpredictable,” he said.

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