Taiwan Premier Resigns After Party Loses Control of Top Cities

Taiwans premier resigned to take responsibility for the loss of key mayoral seats around the island for the ruling Kuomintang party, including the capital city of Taipei.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah said at a press briefing today President Ma Ying-jeou accepted his resignation and would soon announce his replacement as well as new members of the cabinet.

Todays election results show that the people are dissatisfied with the administrations policies, Jiang said. The people have spoken clearly through their votes. I have decided to assume political responsibility.

Todays vote is viewed as a referendum on Mas presidency, during which students have staged protests against his push to strengthen ties with China and average real incomes have declined as home prices have soared. The loss of top municipal seats threatens to hamper Mas ability to advance his policies, such as completing a services trade pact with the mainland, and may reduce the partys chances of retaining power in 2016.

Sean Lien, the KMTs candidate for Taipei mayor, a seat the party has held for two decades, conceded defeat to Ko Wen-je, an independent backed by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. The DPP leads in five of the islands six mayoral elections, including Taichung and Taoyuan, according to early counting by the Central Election Commission.

To contact the reporter on this story: Justina Lee in Taipei at jlee1489@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Debra Mao at dmao5@bloomberg.net

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Taiwan Premier Resigns After Party Loses Control of Top Cities