Voter turnout lower than expected at roughly 58.3%: CEC
ROC Central News Agency
2008-01-13 00:29:48
Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) Voter turnout in Saturday's legislative elections was lower than expected at 58.3 percent, even lower than the 59.2 percent turnout in the 2004 legislative polls, according to official tallies released by the Central Election Commission (CEC) late Saturday.
The commission had originally expected a higher voter turnout due to the introduction of a new electoral system whereby voters had two votes -- one for their favored candidate and another for their favored political party.
The CEC tallies also show that the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) scored a landslide victory, capturing 81 of the 113 seats up for grabs, while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won a mere 27 seats, and the Non-Party Solidarity Union and the People First Party won one seat each, with the remaining seat going to an independent.
A total of 10,076,239 eligible voters, or 58.28 percent of the total, cast ballots to elect their favored political parties who were vying for the 34 at-large seats. The KMT alone snatched 51.23 percent of the total ballots cast, giving it 20 at-large seats; the DPP secured 36.91 percent, allowing it to get the remaining 14 at-large seats. None of the other 10 political parties vying for at-large seats were qualified for any seats as they failed to garner the minimum 5 percent vote threshold.
Of the 113 legislators-elect, 85 are incumbent lawmakers, according to CEC tallies. By gender, 79 are male.
(By Sofia Wu)
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