Global media sees DPP rising after good showing

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) grabbed over 45 percent of the votes cast in the elections for county, city and council seats, only two percent shy of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) while reclaiming Yilan County in what was seen by many as the main battlefield in this election.

The Associated Press (AP) characterized the DPP's strong showing as a sign the party is “clawing its way back to respectability after two crushing defeats”in the 2008 legislator election and presidential election.

The AP described the position of President Ma Ying-joeu, who is also the KMT chairman, as”defensive” since the government's poor response to the Typhoon Morakot disasters as well as his decision to remove a partial ban on the import of certain U.S. beef products.

Reuters saw the election as the China-friendly Ma's first test, which will be carefully watched by the mainland”to see if Ma is a creditable interlocutor.”

The English edition of the Al Jazeera news network, called the election result “a boost”for the DPP and a”proxy referendum”on Ma.

The Singaporean newspaper Strait Times also suggested that Saturday's result is”a warning from voters displeased with the performance”of the president.

The Agent France Press pointed out that”the electorate was putting Ma on notice and that Saturday's results signaled eroding faith in his leadership,”adding that as a consequence Ma might slow down his push for”improved ties with China.”

Media from Hong Kong and China also paid substantial attention to the election, with a focus on the bribe cases as well as hotly contested Yilan County. The government-run Radio Television Hong Kong attributed the KMT's poor result to the government's lackluster performance, especially with the much-criticized Typhoon Morakot relief efforts.

The Hong Kong-based China News Agency focused on the corruption charges in the election, highlighting the case in Guongfu Township, Hualien, where all three candidates were under investigation for election bribery.

The election was also closely followed by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, which released articles featuring the background of the local election and also sent its Taipei correspondent to the KMT press conference after the election.

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