Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen casts her vote for the local elections in New Taipei City, Taiwan, November 24, 2018. Chang Haoan/Pool/via REUTERS

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday she was resigning as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after mayoral election defeats.

Tsai also told a news conference that she had not accepted the resignation of her premier, William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening.</s>Supporters of the opposition Nationalist Party cheer in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Taiwan's ruling party suffered a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island's independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. (AP Photo)

Supporters of the opposition Nationalist Party cheer in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Taiwan's ruling party suffered a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island's independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China. (AP Photo)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat in local elections Saturday that were seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China.

Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years.

Rival China said the results reflected a desire of Taiwanese for better relations with the mainland. Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said his government will continue to treat Taiwan as part of China and “resolutely oppose separatist elements advocating ‘Taiwan independence’ and their activities,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.

In another victory for China, voters rejected a proposal to change the name of its Olympic team to Taiwan from the current Chinese Taipei. They also approved a referendum opposing same-sex marriage in a setback to LGBT couples, though ballot initiatives in Taiwan are non-binding.

The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, narrowly won a second term. The Nationalist candidate in Taipei has asked for a recount.

At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda.

“Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.”

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.

The Nationalists, known also as the KMT, had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing.

Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party for moves to declare formal separation from the mainland.

Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections.

Although domestic concerns were in the foreground, China played a major factor in voter sentiment, analysts said.

“I think part of the reason for the vote on Saturday was concern about relations between Taiwan and mainland China,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Their relations have slid backward.”

Saturday’s results also throw Tsai’s political future into question. While the DPP still controls the national legislature, local politicians are crucial in mobilizing support among grass-roots supporters.

“I’m afraid it will be a big challenge for her in 2020,” said Gratiana Jung, senior political researcher with the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei.

Economic growth, employment and pension reforms were among key issues in the elections, which drew high turnout from the island’s 19 million voters. Government employees who feel slighted by pension cuts that took effect in July probably mobilized against Tsai’s party, Jung said.

Nationalist Party Chairman Wu Den-yih told reporters Saturday that his party would keep trying to avoid diplomatic friction with China and ensure smooth two-way trade.

“We hope the two sides will soon go back to a peaceful and stable trend in relations,” he said.

Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists rebased their government to Taiwan in 1949 amid the civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communists. They ruled under martial law until the late 1980s, when the native Taiwanese population began to take political office, mostly through the DPP.

The vote against changing the name used in international sporting events to Taiwan was seen as a test of support for independence. It was symbolic in nature, as the International Olympic Committee had ruled out a name change, which would be opposed by China.

Though referendums are only advisory, the vote in favor of restricting marriage to male-female couples will likely put lawmakers in a difficult position. They face both a court order to make same-sex marriage legal by 2019 and elections in 2020.</s>TAIPEI: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday (Nov 24) after the pro-independence party suffered major defeats in key mid-term polls, a blow to her prospects for re-election.

"As chairperson of the ruling party, I will take complete responsibility for the outcome of today's local elections," Tsai told reporters.

"I resign as DPP chairperson. Our efforts weren't enough and we let down all our supporters who fought with us. I want to express our most sincere apologies."

DPP lost its traditional stronghold of Kaohsiung city for the first time in 20 years, and was also defeated in the second-largest city of Taichung.



The local elections were seen as a mid-term test for Tsai, as she faces a backlash over domestic reforms and concerns about deteriorating ties with China.



The results of the polls, being held a little more than a year ahead of Taiwan's next presidential elections, will be closely watched in China, which claims self-ruled and proudly democratic Taiwan as its own. 



Both Kaohsiung and Taichung were won by the China-friendly opposition, the Kuomintang.

Tsai said the DPP would reflect on the defeat, but she vowed to press on.

"Continuing reforms, freedom and democracy, and protecting the country's sovereignty are the mission that the DPP would not abandon," she told reporters.

Tsai said she would not accept the resignation of her premier William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening.

Lai wrote on his Facebook page: "The election results showed that people are not satisfied. For this, I feel sorry, and have offered my resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen to accept political responsibility."



The DPP held on in two of its other strongholds though: Tainan in the island's south and Taoyuan in the north.

Votes are still being counted in Taiwan's capital Taipei, where the incumbent mayor Ko Wen-je, an independent, is in a close race with the Kuomintang's Ting Shou-chung, and the DPP is running a distant third.

Taiwan television stations reported a high turn out, with some polling stations in parts of Taipei and Kaohsiung remaining open past 4pm (0800GMT) when the polls were supposed to close.

Candidates fanned out across the island to press the flesh and canvass votes, and held noisy, colourful rallies that have become the hallmarks of Taiwan's vibrant democracy, in marked contrast to China where the Communist Party tolerates no dissent to its rule.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have heightened with China conducting military drills around the island and snatching away Taiwan's dwindling number of diplomatic allies.

Tsai's domestic reform initiatives, from the island's pension scheme to labour law, have also come under intense voter scrutiny recently.

Confidence in the government has waned in recent months after reform moves upset both the opposition and some supporters, who said Tsai had backed away from promises to reduce the deficit and cut pollution.

Underscoring Tsai's challenge are a series of public votes also held on Saturday on whether to make same-sex marriage legal, an issue which has deeply divided Taiwan.

"This is a small step for myself, but a big step for mankind," Chi Chia-wei, a veteran gay rights activist who had petitioned Taiwan's constitutional court to take up the issue, told Reuters after he voted.

Tsai has made little progress despite campaigning on a promise of marriage equality in the run-up to elections in 2016.

In Asia's first such ruling, Taiwan's constitutional court declared in May last year that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, and set a two-year deadline for legalisation.

Voters will also be asked whether the island should join the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as Taiwan, rather than "Chinese Taipei" – the name agreed under a compromise signed in 1981.

A vote to compete under a Taiwan banner would further rile Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Results for the referendum votes may not come out until the early hours of Sunday morning, according to election officials.</s>The Latest on local elections in Taiwan (all times local):

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for a major defeat suffered by her party in local elections.

Tsai will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday following the elections, Tsai also said she had refused Premier William Lai's resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda.

Tsai said: "Today, democracy taught us a lesson. We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people."

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has suffered a major defeat in local elections seen as a referendum on the island's president amid growing pressure from China.

Saturday's elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are a key test for the 2-year-old administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Tsai's DPP lost the mayorship to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan for decades after it split from mainland China in 1949 amid civil war.

The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track for a second term.

Taiwanese have begun voting in midterm local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, amid growing pressure from the island's powerful rival China.

The elections that follow Tsai's landslide victory in 2016 will decide the races for 22 mayors and county magistrates along with thousands of local officials.

Driven from power two years ago, the opposition Nationalists hope to regain territory by counting on their pro-business image and a more accommodating line toward Beijing.

Since her election in 2016, Tsai has maintained Taiwan's de facto independent status while avoiding calls to declare formal separation from the mainland.

China has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching away its diplomatic partners, cutting official contacts and staging threatening military exercises.</s>TAIPEI, Nov 24 — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said today she was resigning as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after mayoral election defeats.

Tsai also told a news conference that she had not accepted the resignation of her premier, William Lai, who had offered to quit earlier in the evening. — Reuters</s>(CNN) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced her resignation Saturday as head of the Democratic Progressive Party after the party suffered a "crushing defeat" in local government elections, according to state media.

The Central News Agency reported Tsai apologized to supporters for the ruling party's "disappointing performance" in a speech at its headquarters, and she took full responsibility for the party's losses.

Although she resigned as the party head, Tsai -- the first woman to be elected President of Taiwan -- will serve out the remainder of her term. The next presidential election is scheduled for January 2020.

According to CNA, Tsai said while her administration is moving in the right direction, the election results were proof that the Taiwanese people are setting a higher standard for their government.

The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is expected to undergo a "major reshuffle" soon, Tsai said, to prepare for the challenges ahead, CNA reported.

Premier Lai Ching-te echoed Tsai in a Facebook post, saying the election results indicated the public's dissatisfaction with the government's performance.

Lai had offered to resign earlier Saturday and take ownership of the party's defeat, but Tsai asked him to stay on as premier to ensure the continuity of the government's policies and initiatives.

Tsai was elected President in a landslide victory in January 2016 after a political career mostly as an outsider. She joined the Democratic Progressive Party in 2004 and was its chairwoman by 2008. She lost her first bid for presidency in 2012 and resigned as the party head before taking the mantle back up in 2014.

Tsai is a lawyer by training and first studied at National Taiwan University before continuing her studies by earning a master of law degree from Cornell University and then a doctorate from the London School of Economics.

Copyright 2018 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>(TAIPEI, Taiwan) — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China.

Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years.

The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track to win a second term.

At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda.

“Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.”

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.

The Nationalists, known also as the KMT, had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing.

Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party for moves to declare formal separation from the mainland.

Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections.

Although domestic concerns were in the foreground, China played a major factor in voter sentiment, analysts said.

“I think part of the reason for the vote on Saturday was concern about relations between Taiwan and mainland China,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Their relations have slid backward.”

Saturday’s results also throw Tsai’s political future into question. While the DPP still controls the national legislature, local politicians are crucial in mobilizing support among grass-roots supporters.

“I’m afraid it will be a big challenge for her in 2020,” said Gratiana Jung, senior political researcher with the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei.

Economic growth, employment and pension reforms were among key issues in the elections, which drew high turnout from the island’s 19 million voters. Government employees who feel slighted by pension cuts that took effect in July probably mobilized against Tsai’s party, Jung said.

Nationalist Party Chairman Wu Den-yih told reporters Saturday that his party would keep trying to avoid diplomatic friction with China and ensure smooth two-way trade.

“We hope the two sides will soon go back to a peaceful and stable trend in relations,” he said.

Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists rebased their government to Taiwan in 1949 amid the civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communists. They ruled under martial law until the late 1980s, when the native Taiwanese population began to take political office, mostly through the DPP.

Voters on Saturday also cast ballots on 10 referendums, including one on whether to amend the civil code to include same-sex marriage — which was legalized last year — and on whether to uphold a commitment to ban nuclear energy by 2025.

And in a highly symbolic but potentially impactful referendum, voters were also asked whether they wish to compete in future international sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei” — the name the island is required to use at China’s insistence.

Although the IOC has already ruled out any changes and warned that Taiwan could even lose its accreditation, many see the vote as a test of support for independence and a means to fire up the DPP base.

China has already responded. Earlier this year, it forced a vote at the Asian Olympic Committee to withdraw the right of Taichung in central Taiwan to host a youth competition scheduled for next year.

The results of the referendums weren’t expected until Sunday.</s>TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s ruling party was handed a major defeat Saturday in local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of the island’s independence-leaning president amid growing economic and political pressure from China.

Soon after the results came in, President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the Democratic Progressive Party. She will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government, although the results bode ill for her re-election chances in two years.

The DPP lost the mayoral election to the Nationalist party in the port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the city of Taichung, home to much of Taiwan’s light industry, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track to win a second term.

At a news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday, Tsai announced she was stepping down as DPP chair and said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda.

“Today, democracy taught us a lesson,” Tsai said. “We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.”

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for Tsai’s 2-year-old administration, which has been under relentless attack from Beijing over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Tsai and the DPP won a landslide victory in 2016, but China swiftly responded by cutting all links with her government. Beijing has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching its diplomatic partners and barring its representatives from international gatherings, while staging threatening military exercises and limiting the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.

The Nationalists had campaigned on their pro-business image and more accommodating line toward Beijing.

Since her election, Tsai has walked a fine line on relations with China, maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independent status that the vast majority of Taiwanese support, while avoiding calls from the more radical elements of her party to declare formal separation from the mainland.

Taiwanese officials had warned that Beijing was seeking to sway voters through the spread of disinformation online similar to how Russia was accused of interfering in U.S. elections.

Ralph Jennings is an Associated Press writer.</s>TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Premier William Lai said on Saturday he had offered his resignation to the president, after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was trounced in mayoral elections.

“The election results showed that people are not satisfied. For this, I feel sorry, and have offered my resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen to accept political responsibility,” he wrote in a statement on his Facebook page.</s>TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Latest on local elections in Taiwan (all times local):

China says the results of local elections in Taiwan, where President Tsai Ing-wen’s independence-leaning party suffered a major defeat, reflect a desire for better relations between the mainland and the self-ruled island.

Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, says “we have noticed the results of the elections.” He says they reflected “the strong will of the public in Taiwan in sharing the benefits of the peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and desires to improve the island’s economy and people’s well-being.”

He says his government will continue to treat Taiwan as part of China and “resolutely oppose separatist elements advocating ‘Taiwan independence’ and their activities.”

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts were seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for a major defeat suffered by her party in local elections.

Tsai will remain as president and her resignation will have no direct effect on the business of government. At a brief news conference at DPP headquarters late Saturday following the elections, Tsai also said she had refused Premier William Lai’s resignation, saying she wanted him to continue her reform agenda.

Tsai said: “Today, democracy taught us a lesson. We must study and accept the higher expectations of the people.”

The elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are seen as a key test for the 2-year-old administration of Tsai, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party has suffered a major defeat in local elections seen as a referendum on the island’s president amid growing pressure from China.

Saturday’s elections for mayors and thousands of local posts are a key test for the 2-year-old administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing has relentlessly attacked over her refusal to endorse its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.

Tsai’s DPP lost the mayorship to the Nationalist party in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, where it had held power for 20 years. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan for decades after it split from mainland China in 1949 amid civil war.

The Nationalists also defeated the DPP in the central city of Taichung, while Ko Wen-je, the independent mayor of Taipei, the capital, appeared on track for a second term.

Taiwanese have begun voting in midterm local elections seen as a referendum on the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, amid growing pressure from the island’s powerful rival China.

The elections that follow Tsai’s landslide victory in 2016 will decide the races for 22 mayors and county magistrates along with thousands of local officials.

Driven from power two years ago, the opposition Nationalists hope to regain territory by counting on their pro-business image and a more accommodating line toward Beijing.

Since her election in 2016, Tsai has maintained Taiwan’s de facto independent status while avoiding calls to declare formal separation from the mainland.

China has been ratcheting up pressure on the island it claims as its own territory by poaching away its diplomatic partners, cutting official contacts and staging threatening military exercises.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen resigns as leader of the Democratic Progressives and refuses Prime Minister William Lai's offer to quit after a major defeat in local elections.