The head of Taiwan's anti-China opposition has seen her popularity rise to a new high after her party gained ground in local elections at the weekend, a survey said Monday. Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and a possible presidential candidate in 2012, is backed by 43 percent of people on the island, up from 27 percent in May, the United Daily News reported. The paper said its survey of 1,066 voters was carried out Sunday, the day after the DPP won control of an extra county in local elections. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) lost two counties. President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT was supported by 33 percent of the respondents, compared with 52 percent in May, according to the paper. The election was widely seen as a mid-term test of Ma's performance during his 19 months in power. Ma has ordered party officials to conduct a thorough review amid fears of further losses in upcoming elections including one for Taipei mayor next year, a KMT official said. 'We'll try to find out why the results have failed to meet our targets,' KMT spokeswoman Chen Shu-jung told selfnews. The United Daily News survey said voters had punished the KMT for several reasons, among them concerns about the government's push for a controversial trade agreement with China. The DPP favours formal independence for Taiwan, which mainland China regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification. 