Taiwan Elections 2008: Ma Ying-jeou’s Victory and the KMT’s Return to Power

Abstract

After eight years of DPP administration, the 2008 legislative and presidential polls in Taiwan saw the Kuomintang return to power with the election of Ma Ying-jeou as the new president and an increased majority in the Parliament. Apart from the circumstantial factors behind this double victory, a detailed analysis of the poll results and comparisons with the results of previous elections reveals the recent evolution of an electorate that remains structurally oriented towards the KMT.