HONG KONG -- The openness, mutual personal criticism and freedom displayed during the latest Taiwanese election were a refreshing contrast to the secrecy, sycophancy and control displayed before, during and after the Chinese Communist Party's 16th Congress.
After ending the Kuomintang's 53-year dominance over island politics in 2000 -- when Democratic Progressive Party leader Chen Shui-bian was elected president -- the DPP did not do as badly as it had feared. And for its part, the KMT (Nationalist Party), in seeking a comeback, did not do as well as it had hoped.
A markedly reduced turnout of Taiwanese voters on Dec. 7 delivered an essentially equivocal verdict on the two main political parties. Mayors and city councils were elected in the two largest cities, Taipei and Kaohsiung.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.