Unhappy Voters Shake Up the Ruling Party in Taiwan

Two years after retaking power in Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered a major defeat in local elections on Nov. 24. Of 22 races, the independence-leaning DPP lost seven of 13 cities and counties it held to the Kuomintang (KMT), including Taichung and the southern port city of Kaohsiung -- two of the four big cities in the election. The opposition KMT was also reelected in six races, including New Taipei and Taitung county, and it also won Kinmen and Hualien county, which were held by independents. The elections helped the KMT regain the footing it lost after being badly defeated in local polling in 2014, and the victory in Kaohsiung by charismatic KMT mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu broke the DPP's decadeslong grip on the southern stronghold, in some ways reshaping the political landscape of a city known for its pro-independence leanings. In Taipei, the independent mayor, Ko Wen-je,...