Caotun (Tsaotun), Nantou had always been a Kuomintang (KMT) stronghold. It is premier Wu Den-yih's hometown and had always voted pan-blue in past elections. The KMT candidate received 60.6% of the vote in the last magisterial election in 2009. Later, in the Nantou County magisterial election, the two pan-blue candidates also garnered over 60%.
The KMT member who won the magisterial race in 2009 was charged bribery and had his election victory invalidated. Almost 35,000 voters took part in the by-election, and DPP candidate Hung Kuo-hao won by just 19 votes. 19 votes might not seem like a lot, but considering the DPP has never won an election in Caotun, this is a huge victory.
As DPP spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsan said, the outcome suggested the grassroot support for the DPP was continuing to grow. It could also illustrate the fact that voters are dissatisfied with the KMT administration in not only Caotun but also the country as a whole.
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