Votes show Ma no-confidence: DPP

The election outcome shows that the Ma administration's policies are alienating the people, said DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, said. Tsai said the party's victory in Yilan was of particular importance, showing that the DPP is gradually winning back voters' trust.

“It also represents the people's vote of no-confidence for the Ma administration,” Tsai said, after DPP candidate Lin Tzong-shyan defeated KMT rival Lu Kuo-hwa, the incumbent head of the northeastern county. The DPP retained the three counties currently under its control, but both the DPP and KMT placed heavy emphasis on Yilan in this campaign.

In the last elections in 2005, the KMT ended the opposition camp's 24-year rule in the county. Ma apparently was eager to keep it, having visited Yilan several times to stump for Lu ahead of the elections.

“We've picked ourselves up, and we've come from the nadir,” said Tsai at Lin's campaign headquarters. The opposition party received an estimated 46 percent vote share, Tsai said, compared to the less 40 percent the party received in the last local and the 2008 presidential elections.

The extent of support is the second highest the party has ever garnered, following the backing it obtained in the 2004 presidential poll, the DPP chief noted. Tsai said that in some local government races, the DPP only lost to the KMT by narrow margins.

The DPP, which ruled Taiwan from 2000-2008, saw its popularity shrink sharply over the past few years as a result of a series of corruption scandals hitting former President Chen Shui-bian and his family. The DPP administration was also heavily criticized for failing to boost the economy and for continuing to shut the door on China due to ideological reasons.

Despite the improved performance, Tsai said the DPP will not be complacent, because there is still long way to go before it can shake the KMT's strong foundation.

“We will continue to reform ... to win back voters' trust gradually,” said Tsai.

Tsai warned that the Ma administration must heed the people's message sent out through this campaign. If the government does not show improvements, the people will be giving the KMT an even stronger demonstration of their discontent in the future.

The DPP has been critical of the Ma administration's China-leaning policies, arguing that they will allow the communists to hijack the island economically.

Ma's popularity has also been dropping amid an economic downturn, high unemployment. His popularity ratings fell to the mid-teens this summer after the government's slow response in the wake of massive flooding and landslides during Typhoon Morakot.

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