TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as the party chairperson after the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in the local elections on Saturday (Nov. 26).
"On behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), I would like to thank all citizens for their support and encouragement," President Tsai said at the party's headquarters.
"The results of the 2022 local elections were not as expected. We humbly accept the election results and the decision of the people of Taiwan," she added.
The local elections in Taiwan saw the opposition KMT winning in a landslide on Saturday, taking 13 of the 21 cities and counties up for grabs. The main opposition party took four of the country's six biggest metropolitan areas where nearly 7 out of 10 people live in Taiwan.
"As the chairman of the ruling party, I am very grateful for the entire party's unity and hard work," she went on. "I must also take responsibility and resign as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party with immediate effect."
Despite the major election setback, Tsai announced that she refused Premier Su Tseng-chang's offer to resign, stressing that he needs to ensure that the implementation of major policies is not interrupted.
During the campaign, the DPP leadership repeatedly stressed how the international audience closely monitored the result of the local elections, stressing that voting for the DPP means fighting against the "China threat" and "protecting Taiwan's democracy."
If the results were not in favor of the ruling party, the DPP also argued that other democracies might have second thoughts on Taiwan, thinking that Taiwanese people are steering toward Beijing.
