1950–51 Taiwanese local elections

Last updated
1950–51 Taiwanese local elections
Flag of the Republic of China.svg
22 October 1950 (1950-10-22) – 29 July 1951 (1951-07-29) 1954  

All 21 mayors/magistrates of cities, counties
Turnout79.6%
 Majority partyMinority party
  Jiang Zhong Zheng Zong Tong Yu Zhao .png Hsu Fu-lin.jpg
Leader Chiang Kai-shek Hsu Fu-lin
Party Kuomintang Democratic Socialist
Mayors/
Magistrates
171

1950ROCCounty.svg
  Kuomintang
  China Democratic Socialist Party
  Independents
  Not up for election (Yangmingshan)

Local elections were held in Taiwan in 1950 and 1951, months after Chiang Kai-shek resumed duties as President of the Republic of China following the civil war defeat, marking the start of local autonomy in the post-war era.

Contents

The elections were also considered to be legitimising the Kuomintang's rule on the island, while attempting to strive for more support from the United States. They also provided the foundation for opposition Tangwai movement as non-KMT members tried to revolt against authoritarian rule through elections, and bred local powers and fractions that would impact the future elections. [1] Some of the defeated contenders in these elections would eventually be elected or become leaders of the Tangwai movement. [2]

Background

Newspaper on 6 March 1947 announcing "mayoral, magisterial elections set for 1 July" Er Er Ba Shi Jian Chu Li Wei Yuan Hui Yao Qiu Chen Yi Cheng Nuo Xian Shi Chang Zhi Jie Min Xuan Taiwanese People asked for People-elected Mayors after the 228 Incident in 1947.png
Newspaper on 6 March 1947 announcing "mayoral, magisterial elections set for 1 July"

Taiwan's electoral history could trace back to Japanese rule in 1935, but the suffrage by then was limited. [3] In 1947, anti-government uprisings erupted, with protestors calling for political reform. Despite promising the implementation of reforms including local elections, Chen Yi, Chief Executive of Taiwan Province, secretly asked for reinforcement from mainland China to suppress the uprisings.

After the defeat in the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government retreated to Taiwan in 1949. On 1 March 1950, Chiang declared the resumption of duties as the President of the Republic of China. The Government then announced in April plans for local elections, electing all 21 mayors of cities and magistrates of counties with a three-year term of office. City and County Council elections were organised also.

Chairmanship of the Taiwan Provincial Government and the councillorship of the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council were both not open for direct election due to ongoing martial law, instead appointed or indirectly elected. [4]

Electoral system

According to "Election and Removal of Mayors and Magistrates of Taiwan Province Regulation" (Chinese :臺灣省縣市長選舉罷免規程) promulgated in 1950, the election adopted the two-round, simple majority voting system.

A candidate shall be duly elected when the turnout is over 50% and received 50% of total votes cast (including invalid votes). If no candidates were elected, a runoff will be held within the next 20 days between the two leading candidates, with the one winning the most votes declared winner. If the two candidates received the same number of votes, lots will be drawn to determine the winner.

Election timetable

The local elections were divided into eight stages: [5]

StageElection periodCities/Counties
First12 August 1950 – 22 October 1950 Hualien County
Taitung County
Second20 October 1950 – 7 January 1951 Taichung City
Tainan City
Keelung City
Penghu County
20 October 1950 – 14 January 1951 Taipei City
Third22 January 1951 – 25 March 1951 Kaohsiung City
22 January 1951 – 1 April 1951 Pingtung County
Kaohsiung County
Fourth28 January 1951 – 1 April 1951 Hsinchu County
28 January 1951 – 8 April 1951 Taipei County
Taoyuan County
Fifth3 February 1951 – 8 April 1951 Changhua County
3 February 1951 – 22 April 1951 Yilan County
Sixth10 February 1951 – 15 April 1951 Tainan County
Yunlin County
10 February 1951 – 22 April 1951 Chiayi County
Seventh5 March 1951 – 13 May 1951 Taichung County
Nantou County
Eighth5 May 1950 – 29 July 1951 Miaoli County

Summary

With a high turnout of 79.6%, [6] KMT-backed candidates were elected in 17 out of 21 cities/counties, CDSP took one and the remaining were captured by independents.

The list below shows the statistics of party membership of candidates standing in the election. Coloured box refers to the party membership of elected mayor or magistrate.

KMT CDSP Young Ind
Hualien County 51
Taitung County 52
Taichung City 32
Tainan City 51
Keelung City 32
Penghu County 31
Taipei City 914
Pingtung County 31
Kaohsiung County 22
Kaohsiung City 31
Taipei County 42
Taoyuan County 52
Hsinchu County 34
Changhua County 41
Yilan County 31
Tainan County 3
Yunlin County 2
Chiayi County 81
Taichung County 32
Nantou County 411
Miaoli County 2

Detailed results

First stage

Magistrate of Hualien
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Democratic Socialist 楊仲鯨22,68730.8335,44453.02
Kuomintang 林茂盛22,66330.8031,40846.98
Independent 周坤祺7,94510.80
Independent 李群山7,0689.61
Independent 謝琳淼6,7459.17
Independent 陳阿民6,4758.80
Magistrate of Taitung
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 陳振宗10,79623.54??
Kuomintang 黃式鴻11,78425.70??
Independent 周伸興7,51216.38
Independent 鐘生鑑7,10215.49
Independent 黃忠6,29213.72
Independent 林作梅1,6013.49
Independent 張慶萱7701.68

Second stage

In Taichung mayoral election, lawyer Yang Chi-hsien (楊基先), with opposition background, defeated Kuomintang candidate Lin Chin-piao (林金標). Kuomintang members were reportedly forced to canvass for Lin and collect name and address of at least fifty voters, which angered some of the residents. [7] According to KMT senior Chen Kuo-fu, Yang's well connection with the grassroot community contributed to his victory. [8] The discontent with the ruling KMT following February 28 incident, along with his narrow-mindedness, also damaged Lin's popularity. [9] [10]

Despite winning a plurality in the first round, Yang was forced to a second round as more than 8,000 invalid votes were cast. [11]

Mayor of Taichung
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Independent Yang Chi-hsien34,44151.2738,40655.64
Kuomintang Lin Chin-piao24,82836.9630,61444.36
Independent 廖朝舟7,90111.76
Tainan City Council chose three candidates for acting mayor on 9 March, upon appointment by the government, for pre-election transition 1947-3-9Tai Nan Shi Xuan Chu Guo Du Shi Qi Min Xuan Shi Chang Hou Xuan Ren Newspaper concerning aftermath (Residents of Tainan elected 3 Mayoral Candidates) of the 228 Incident of TAIWAN.jpeg
Tainan City Council chose three candidates for acting mayor on 9 March, upon appointment by the government, for pre-election transition
Mayor of Tainan
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Independent 葉廷珪16,64826.5146,15667.29
Kuomintang 黃百祿16,92626.9522,43532.71
Kuomintang 吳國信13,32121.21
Kuomintang 邱鴻恩9,81615.63
Kuomintang 劉子祥6,0889.69
Mayor of Keelung
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 謝貫一34,90557.48
Independent 陳炳煌17,65629.07
Independent 林番王8,16713.45
Magistrate of Penghu
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 李玉林21,39577.90
Independent 歐老萊6,07022.10
Wu San-lien (second left) celebrated with voters after elected Zhong Hua Min Guo Di Yi Wei Min Xuan Shou Du Shi Chang Wu San Lian Yu 1951Nian Sheng Xuan Hou First People-elected Mayor of Taipei, the Capital of TAIWAN.jpg
Wu San-lien (second left) celebrated with voters after elected

The Taipei mayoral election of the capital was one of the most competitive in the local elections, with six independent candidates and one KMT-supported.

In the memoir of Henry Kao, later Mayor of Taipei, then-chairman of Taiwan Provincial Government K. C. Wu convinced incumbent mayor Wu San-lien (吳三連) to run for re-election and fully supported him after considering multiple non-KMT candidates were elected, making him the first government official that supported opposition candidate. [12] In protest against the decision, Lin Tzu-kuei (林紫貴), KMT delegate of the National Assembly, ran in the election, [13] while China Democratic Socialist Party, to which Wu San-lien was affiliated despite running as an independent, endorsed Henry Kao instead of Wu. [14]

KMT later urged Lin to withdraw from the competition. Lin in return demanded to be promoted as deputy minister or to compensate his election expenses, but were both rejected. Just a week before election, Lin was detained and jailed by secret police, [14] allegedly harbouring communists. [13]

Kao, who was nominated by others, decided not to campaign as he believed Wu was much respected and popular. [12] As a result, Wu won in a landslide, garnering nearly 66% of votes. Soon after the poll concluded, Lin was released from jail. [13]

Mayor of Taipei
CandidatePartyVotes%
Wu San-lienIndependent92,06165.61
Henry Kao Independent28,07520.01
莊琮耀Independent12,3488.80
郭伯儀Independent3,9012.78
Lin Tzu-kuei Kuomintang 2,2231.58
鄭來春Independent9840.70
蘇金塗Independent7260.52
Total140,318100.00
Valid votes140,31897.89
Invalid/blank votes3,0262.11
Total votes143,344100.00
Registered voters/turnout257,84955.59
Source: [15]

Third stage

Magistrate of Pingtung
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 張山鐘66,06149.5193,39360.23
Independent 孔德興25,88219.4061,65639.77
Independent 林嘯鯤22,36616.76
Independent 陳朝景11,5998.69
Independent 洪石柱6,4224.81
Independent 杜德三1,1100.83
Magistrate of Kaohsiung
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 洪榮華54,39935.5990,80350.84
Independent 陳新安68,79645.0187,79149.16
Independent 余登發28,13918.41
Kuomintang 吳崇雄1,5030.98
Mayor of Kaohsiung
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 謝掙強49,22351.84
Independent 李源棧41,98444.22
Kuomintang 林斌3,7383.94

Fourth stage

Magistrate of Taipei
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 梅達夫85,10946.17173,38979.20
Kuomintang 廖富本93,69750.8345,54120.80
Independent 林兩端3,5331.92
Independent 林燕清1,9941.08
Magistrate of Taoyuan
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 徐崇德40,87835.26??
Kuomintang 徐言46,19939.84??
Independent 陳阿頭15,15113.07
Independent 黃宗寬6,4505.56
Independent 魏肇潤3,6633.16
Independent 黃又安3,6083.11
Magistrate of Hsinchu
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 朱盛淇76,85472.01
Kuomintang 古侃22,44721.03
Independent 王繼呂6,7316.31
Independent 解慶文6980.65

Fifth stage

During election, Chen Hsi-ching (陳錫卿), then mayor of Changhua, told the less-educated farmers that posting his election leaflet could "prevent swine fever". Chen eventually achieved a simple majority in the election without a second round.

Magistrate of Changhua
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang Chen Hsi-ching153,87562.93
Kuomintang 陳萬福50,63120.70
Kuomintang 于國楨35,70914.60
Independent 黃漢樹4,3211.77

In Yilan County, a second round of election was arranged due to a total of 4,239 invalid votes in the first round, which blocked the election of independent Chen Wang-chuan (陳旺全). Following a widespread campaign by the KMT, the party-backed candidate Lu Tsuan-hsiang (盧纘祥) was elected in the second round despite losing the first.

Magistrate of Yilan
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang Lu Tsuan-hsiang45,11948.29??
Independent Chen Wang-chuan48,32451.71??

Sixth stage

Magistrate of Tainan
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 高文瑞106,63151.09
Kuomintang 蔡愛仁52,74225.27
Kuomintang 高錦德49,32323.63
Magistrate of Yunlin
PartyCandidateVotes%
Kuomintang 吳景徽103,75354.85
Kuomintang 廖昆金85,40845.15

Hsu Shih-shien (許世賢) is the first female candidate of magisterial elections in the country, but would only be elected seventeen years later in 1968. [16]

Magistrate of Chiayi
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 林金生71,56941.10101,48252.04
Independent 李茂松80,49146.2293,54147.96
Kuomintang 許世賢22,07812.68

Seventh stage

Originally registered as independent, Lin He-nien (林鶴年) joined the Kuomintang before second round of voting.

Magistrate of Chiayi
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang Lin He-nien58,33032.3088,05552.11
Kuomintang 陳水潭72,73540.2880,92147.89
Independent 蔡卯生40,71622.55
Independent 陳振順7,5324.17
Independent 呂大樁1,2770.71
Magistrate of Nantou
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang 李國楨59,04750.6175,06364.01
Democratic Socialist 廖啟川24,13520.6942,20735.99
Youth 陳如商20,22317.33
Kuomintang 洪金園13,25711.36

Eighth stage

A second round was held due to a total of 3,364 invalid votes, blocking Liu Ting-kuo (劉定國) the leading candidate in the first round to receive 50% of the total votes.

Magistrate of Miaoli
PartyCandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Kuomintang Liu Ting-kuo55,00249.7163,62751.13
Kuomintang Huang Yun-chin55,64750.2960,81448.87

The election result was annulled by court as Liu was serving in the military and thus unqualified as a candidate, therefore triggering a by-election in July 1951.

References

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  2. "余登發與戰後臺灣民主運動". National Taiwan Normal University. 2011. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  3. 彭, 瑞金 (2004-10-25). "戰後台灣地方自治實施初階段,原生民主勢力的勃興" (PDF) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-04.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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  9. 林, 良哲 (2004). 何春木回憶錄 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: 前衛出版社. ISBN   957-801-450-3.
  10. "陳果夫函蔣中正鑑於本黨在臺中參選失敗之個人所聞及年來對黨務感想". Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 1950-12-25. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  11. "巫永福回憶錄--我的風霜歲月". Taiwanus.net. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  12. 1 2 黃, 富三 (2001). 台北市歷屆市長議長口述歷史 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 台北市政府文獻委員會.
  13. 1 2 3 李, 世傑 (1989). 特務打選戰 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 敦理出版社.
  14. 1 2 "【被遺忘的歷史】選舉奧步(二):特務、司法介入選舉". 想想論壇. 2019-12-30. Archived from the original on 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  15. 黃, 振超 (1987). 臺北市志·卷三·政制志選舉篇. p. 249.
  16. "戰後臺灣女性參政之先驅:許世賢 (1908-1983) 的政治生涯". National Taiwan Normal University (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2003. Retrieved 2023-04-09.