On Sunday, five mayoral elections were held in Taiwan. They were seen as a test of the incumbent Kuomintang (KMT) government’s popularity and of President Ma Ying-jeou. The vote was so significant because the five districts comprise 60 per cent of Taiwan’s population.

The result was not decisive. The KMT party won three of the five contests, notably Taipei. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the other two contests, notably Kaohsiung in the south.

While the KMT won more contests, Taiwan News reports that the DPP won more votes. The DPP is reported as winning 49.9 per cent, whereas the KMT won 44.2 per cent. Independents won the rest. Support for the DPP was up by about 6 per cent on its 2008 presidential performance. The next presidential election is in 2012.