Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party lost seats across the island in local elections Saturday, including the mayor’s seat in Taipei, Reuters reported. The elections, held less than two years ahead of a presidential poll, were the first chance for voters to make their views felt since thousands occupied parliament in March in an unprecedented demonstration against a planned trade pact calling for closer ties with Beijing. In Taipei, 55-year-old surgeon and independent candidate Ko Wen-je defeated Sean Lien, a political scion of the KMT. The trouncing prompted the island’s premier and cabinet to step down, leaving President and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou to rebuild a government.
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