TAIPEI: Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party DPP is likely to face a big defeat in Saturday's local elections on November 26th.
Various polls have shown that the DPP could lose half of the 22 counties and cities up for grabs, with observers blaming it on public discontent towards the DPP administration.
The ruling party won in just six counties and cities out of the 22 available in the 2018 local election. The history is likely to repeat itself for this election, largely due to public discontent with the DPP government's domestic policies.
According to various polls, more than half of the Taiwanese are unhappy with the way in which it handled its fight against the COVID 19 epidemic. The slowing economy has eroded the confidence of voters in the government.
Andrew Yang, Secretary General of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank, said it was not just the impact of COVID 19: it's also the effect of COVID.
If the government can't provide hope for future growth and stabilize the economy, then it is not good for the livelihoods of ordinary citizens. Taiwan's economic growth this year is expected to fall to 3.76 per cent, nearly half of last year's 6.57 per cent growth due to slowing global demand and inflationary pressures.