Ma defeats Tsai by over 790,000 votes

The incumbent garnered more than 6.68 million votes to win another four-year term after a re-election campaign that relied heavily on its China-friendly platform.

“This is not my personal victory, the victory belongs to all Taiwanese,” Ma, 61, told jubilant supporters at the ruling Kuomintang's headquarters. “We've won but we will only be happy for one night because we have many tasks at hand.”

“In the next four years, cross-strait relations will be more peaceful, with greater mutual trust and reduced chance of conflict,” said Ma.

Tsai, who finished at 45.6 percent with over 6.09 million votes, conceded defeat and announced her resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party.

“I concede defeat ... and congratulate President Ma,” Tsai told a press conference, flanked by her running mate Su Jia-chyuan and party heavyweights including former premiers Frank Hsieh and Su Tseng-chang.

“To shoulder the responsibility of defeat, I have decided to step down as chairwoman of the party,” Tsai said. No decision on her successor was announced.

“I hope that Ma can listen to the people and not let them down,” she added.

People First Party Chairman James Soong finished a distant third, taking a meager 2.8 percent of votes.

Voting proceeded without any major incidents. Turnout was more than 70 percent with over 18 million voters casting ballots.

Ma's victory could be seen as welcome news for both Beijing and Washington, observers said.

Cross-strait tensions have eased after Ma ousted the pro-independence DPP from the Presidential Office in 2008. The United States is also banking on Ma maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.

Despite the victory, Ma saw a drop in support from the number of votes he won in the 2008 poll, while Tsai garnered more votes than DPP candidate Frank Hsieh did in the last race.

Pre-election predictions put Ma and Tsai in a neck-and-neck race, due to common perceptions of Ma's lack of performance over the past four years.

“Ma has lost a lot of votes,” former DPP Legislator Luo Wen-jia was cited by Reuters as saying. “But the people's dissatisfaction was not enough to make him lose the election.”

The KMT also logged a decrease in the number of seats in the Legislature, which was also re-elected on the same day, although it managed to keep majority control of parliament.

The ruling party took 64 legislative seats, down from the current 81, while the DPP's seats jumped to 40 from 27.

“We will continue to let economic growth flourish, protect cross-strait peace and friendly relations to achieve more concrete results in cooperation in important areas,” said Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the KMT.

But in response to the reduced majority in parliament, Lien said, “We need to discuss thoroughly the criticism the voters have handed to us.”

Former Vice President and DPP elder Annette Lu, commenting on TV, said her party would probably choose a member from its Central Standing Committee to succeed Tsai. But she declined to speculate on any of the possible replacements.

An estimated 200,000 China-based Taiwanese businesspeople and their relatives returned home to vote.

“I voted for Ma because I am doing business with China and I often travel there,” businesswoman Ane Wei was cited by AFP as saying at a Taipei polling station. “It'd be more convenient for me and good for my business if he remains in office.”

Ruby Yang, an office worker, said she had cast her ballot in favor of Tsai “because I want to see the first female president in Taiwan,” according to AFP.

“China is a major economic power, with the world's biggest demand for goods,” Frank Chang, a Taipei banker who voted for Ma, was cited by AP as saying. “As a small island, Taiwan cannot isolate itself from the mainland and still maintain a viable economy.”

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