1954 Taiwanese local elections

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1954 Taiwanese local elections
Flag of the Republic of China.svg
←  1950–51 2 May 1954 (1954-05-02)
18 July 1954 (1954-07-18)		 1957  →
All 21 mayors/magistrates of cities, counties
 Majority partyMinority party
  Jiang Zhong Zheng Zong Tong Yu Zhao .png
Leader Chiang Kai-shek None
Party Kuomintang Independent
Percentage68.85%31.15%
Mayors/
Magistrates		192
ChangeIncrease2.svg2Decrease2.svg1
1954ROCCounty.svg
  Kuomintang
  Independents
  Not up for election (Yangmingshan, Chekiang, Fuchien)

Local elections were held in Taiwan in 1954, the second nation-wide elections in the post-war era of Taiwan, electing all 21 mayors of cities and magistrates of counties. The election for the Provisional Taiwan Provincial Council was held alongside the local elections to elect 57 councillors.

Contents

As the incumbent mayors/magistrates across the country were elected in eight different stages, resulting in various terms of office, the Government decided to extend the tenures of 19 mayors/magistrates for several months to end on 1 June 1954, except Miaoli and Taichung as the magistrates of both were elected in subsequent by-elections.

The unified local elections for the nineteen administrative divisions were held on 2 May 1954, with the same three-year term of office. Miaoli and Taichung elections were held on 18 July 1954, with shorter tenures that would end on the same day as the other local leaders in 1957.

Electoral system

According to the amended "Election and Removal of Mayors and Magistrates of Taiwan Province Regulation" (Chinese :臺灣省縣市長選舉罷免規程), the election abolished several requirements compared to the last: the two-round system was abandoned, while simple majority system was replaced by the first-past-the-post system. Thresholds requiring 50%-plus turnout and total votes cast (including invalid votes) were abolished. A candidate receiving the most votes shall be declared elected. If two candidates receive the same number of votes, lots will be drawn to determine the winner.

Summary

The Kuomintang won in a landslide, capturing 19 out of 21 divisions after flipping in Taichung City, Tainan City, and Hualien County. Incumbent Chiayi Magistrate was defeated by an independent, and Taipei Mayorship continued to be in the hand of the independents.

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

KMT CDSP YCP Ind
Taipei County 1
Taipei City 11
Keelung City 1
Yilan County 12
Taoyuan County 11
Hsinchu County 11
Taichung County 1
Taichung City 11
Changhua County 12
Nantou County 1
Yunlin County 1
Chiayi County 11
Tainan County 11
Tainan City 21
Kaohsiung County 1
Kaohsiung City 11
Pingtung County 1
Hualien County ? ??
Penghu County 11
Miaoli County 12
Taitung County 1

Detailed results

Taipei

Magistrate of Taipei
CandidatePartyVotes%
戴德發 Kuomintang 231,035100.00
Total231,035100.00
Valid votes231,03596.08
Invalid/blank votes9,4283.92
Total votes240,463100.00
Registered voters/turnout312,58976.93
Source: [1]

Kuomintang nominated Lt. Gen. Wang Min-ning (王民寧), former head of Taiwan Province police service during the February 28 incident, as the candidate for the Taipei mayoral election. The opposition was represented by Henry Kao, who briefly lived in the United States after last election's defeat. [2] American reporters in Taiwan, who had been in touch with Kao, also reported on his election campaign. After understanding Kao's secret engagement with the American Embassy, Kuomintang seniors were concerned about Kao. [3]

The past of Wang in the 1940s was being dig up and harmed his popularity, including detaining a doctor criticising him for pushing in at hospital, [4] and his leading role during the suppression of February 28 uprising. Wang was also described as out of touch as he was not living in Taiwan for quite some time. According to party members of Kuomintang, Wang's campaign even tried bribing voters with food, who in turn destroyed Wang's election leaflets and then helped with Kao's canvassing. [5] Kao, on the other hand, pursued pro-grassroot campaigning and was praised for his humbleness. [3]

Amidst critical situation with Wang, Chiang Ching-kuo, son of President Chiang, met with heads of intelligence services to discuss further actions to help Wang. Taipei police then urged residents and shops to celebrate less for Kao but more for Wang, while Kuomintang agents groundless rumours over Kao as a CIA spy. This, however, bolstered his popularity as voters were angered by the oppressive governance and hoped Washington could pressure Taiwan Government to implement political reforms. [3]

After voting concluded, the radio withheld announcing the results, only revealing Kao had more votes. [6] William C. Chase, leader of the US Military Assistance Advisory Group in Taiwan, requested the United States Department of State to send a telegraph congratulating Kao's victory after discovering that vote counting stopped at night. Kao believed the telegraph forced Chiang Kai-shek to confirm the election result. [5]

Former American Ambassador Wellington Koo later revealed that Chiang and party leaders were "very shocked and disappointed" over the defeat, [7] while Kao believed the authorities did not stuff the ballot box because he was not considered to be a serious challenger. [2] Seniors of Kuomintang's party headquarter and local branch, including Chang Chi-yun, resigned citing the loss. [8]

Mayor of Taipei
CandidatePartyVotes%
Henry KaoIndependent110,41553.08
Wang Min-ning Kuomintang 97,61346.92
Total208,028100.00
Valid votes208,02896.87
Invalid/blank votes6,7133.13
Total votes214,741100.00
Registered voters/turnout326,80165.71
Source: [9]

Keelung

Mayor of Keelung
CandidatePartyVotes%
謝貫一 Kuomintang 54,728100.00
Total54,728100.00
Valid votes54,72888.40
Invalid/blank votes7,18311.60
Total votes61,911100.00
Registered voters/turnout90,26868.59
Source: [10]

Yilan

Kan Ah-yen (甘阿炎) from the Kuomintang was elected.

Magistrate of Yilan
CandidatePartyVotes %
甘阿炎 Kuomintang ??
藍文炳Independent??
林振炎Independent??
Total131,953100.00
Valid votes131,953
Invalid votes3,298
Total votes111,675100.00
Registered voters/turnout131,95384.63
Source: [11]

Taoyuan

Magistrate of Taoyuan
CandidatePartyVotes %
徐崇德 Kuomintang ??
翁瑞鉅Independent??
Total133,352100.00
Valid votes130,352
Invalid votes3,000
Total votes133,352100.00
Registered voters/turnout172,86577.14
Source: [11]

Hsinchu

Chu Sheng-chi (朱盛淇) was re-elected, fending off challenge by local faction.

Magistrate of Hsinchu
CandidatePartyVotes%
Chu Sheng-chi Kuomintang 72,04056.77
張青雲Independent54,86043.23
Total126,900100.00
Valid votes126,90092.89
Invalid/blank votes9,7067.11
Total votes136,606100.00
Registered voters/turnout173,61778.68
Source: [12] [11]

Taichung

Magistrate of Taichung
CandidatePartyVotes%
陳水潭 Kuomintang 133,604100.00
Total133,604100.00
Valid votes133,60486.28
Invalid/blank votes21,23713.72
Total votes154,841100.00
Registered voters/turnout225,98468.52
Source: [11]

Lin Chin-piao (林金標), who lost in last Taichung mayoral election, was nominated again by the Kuomintang, while Tangwai backed doctor Chang Shen-hsu (張深鑐) who long participated in anti-government protest movements. Lin's community work, along with the votes of sympathy over his last electoral defeat, were rewarded with a landslide victory, earning 67% of votes, while Chang was criticised to be too arrogant. [13]

Mayor of Taichung
CandidatePartyVotes%
Lin Chin-piao Kuomintang 51,00366.93
Chang Shen-hsuIndependent25,20433.07
Total76,207100.00
Valid votes76,20797.38
Invalid/blank votes2,0522.62
Total votes78,259100.00
Registered voters/turnout97,64780.14
Source: [14]

Changhua

Incumbent Changhua and former Changhua mayor Chen Hsi-ching (陳錫卿) was hugely supported by the public in the last election, as he was elected without heading to the run-off. But his popularity dropped as discontent in Changhua city grew over new policies that favoured rural rather than urban.

As multiple party members expressed interest in running in the magisterial election, Kuomintang organised a primary before the election. Lin Bo-yu (林伯餘), a famous doctor in Changhua seen as a great challenger to Chen, however, was eventually forced to quit the primary after pressure from Chen. Yang Ting-kuo, another primary candidate, was defeated by Chen, paving way for securing the nomination. [15]

The dissatisfaction towards Chen over his tactics led to the endorsement of Shih Hsi-hsun, an activist during Japanese rule, by local politicians and local factions to run for Tangwai. With the support for Shih growing, local Kuomintang smeared Shih as an "illegal" candidate during unauthorisied canvassing. On the election day, rural villagers chiefs had allegedly voted on behalf of villagers, while election frauds were reported. [15]

The official result announced saw Chen re-elected with a reduced majority.

Magistrate of Changhua
CandidatePartyVotes%
Chen Hsi-ching Kuomintang 116,80551.47
Shih Hsi-hsunIndependent88,90339.17
謝報Independent21,2459.36
Total226,953100.00
Valid votes226,95396.66
Invalid/blank votes7,8523.34
Total votes234,805100.00
Registered voters/turnout333,91070.32
Source: [11]

Nantou

Magistrate of Nantou
CandidatePartyVotes%
李國楨 Kuomintang 113,516100.00
Total113,516100.00
Valid votes113,51690.88
Invalid/blank votes11,3889.12
Total votes124,904100.00
Registered voters/turnout148,70184.00
Source: [11]

Yunlin

Magistrate of Yunlin
CandidatePartyVotes%
吳景徽 Kuomintang 166,233100.00
Total166,233100.00
Valid votes166,23389.09
Invalid/blank votes20,34910.91
Total votes186,582100.00
Registered voters/turnout248,24175.16
Source: [11]

Chiayi

Incumbent magistrate Lin Chin-sheng (林金生) was again nominated by the Kuomintang, but was defeated by Li Mao-sung (李茂松) who broke away from the party and ran as an independent.

Magistrate of Chiayi
CandidatePartyVotes %
Lin Chin-sheng Kuomintang ??
Li Mao-sungIndependent??
Total206,282100.00
Valid votes206,282
Invalid votes6,563
Total votes212,845100.00
Registered voters/turnout260,42781.73
Source: [14]

Tainan

Magistrate of Tainan
CandidatePartyVotes%
高文瑞 Kuomintang 129,66857.52
黃千里 Young China Party 95,77842.48
Total225,446100.00
Valid votes225,44697.38
Invalid/blank votes6,0632.62
Total votes231,509100.00
Registered voters/turnout298,05777.67
Source: [14]
Mayor of Tainan
CandidatePartyVotes%
楊請 Kuomintang 47,68557.94
葉廷珪 Kuomintang 30,19136.68
邱鴻祥Independent4,4305.38
Total82,306100.00
Valid votes82,30697.82
Invalid/blank votes1,8382.18
Total votes84,144100.00
Registered voters/turnout117,18971.80
Source: [16]

Kaohsiung

Chen Hsin-an (陳新安) was supported by Tangwai local leader Yu Teng-fa, both defeated in last election, and by local faction, hence was elected unopposed.

Magistrate of Kaohsiung
CandidatePartyVotes%
Chen Hsin-an Kuomintang 152,839100.00
Total152,839100.00
Valid votes152,83997.51
Invalid/blank votes3,9022.49
Total votes156,741100.00
Registered voters/turnout221,97170.61
Source: [14]

For Kaohsiung City, incumbent mayor Hsieh Cheng-chiang (謝掙強) was re-elected, defeating challenges from other local factions. [17]

Mayor of Kaohsiung
CandidatePartyVotes%
Hsieh Cheng-chiang Kuomintang 70,32558.39
楊金虎 China Democratic Socialist Party 50,11841.61
Total120,443100.00
Valid votes120,44396.24
Invalid/blank votes4,7013.76
Total votes125,144100.00
Registered voters/turnout149,49383.71
Source: [18]

Pingtung

Magistrate of Pingtung
CandidatePartyVotes%
林石城 Kuomintang 114,520100.00
Total114,520100.00
Valid votes114,52071.43
Invalid/blank votes45,81528.57
Total votes160,335100.00
Registered voters/turnout233,51268.66
Source: [14]

Hualien

Kuomintang candidate Lin Mao-sheng (林茂盛) was elected in Hualien County, succeeding from Democratic Socialist magistrate.

Penghu

Incumbent magistrate Lee Yu-lin (李玉林) ran for second term, while some on the islands wished to have a local governing the county, instead of a waisheng (mainland Chinese migrant) military personnel. Hsu Cheng-ching (許整景), who was born in Penghu but relocated to Kaohsiung, was considered the potential challenger, and had reluctantly agreed to put his name forward.

The original evaluation by the Kuomintang put the popularity of Lee at around 70%, Hsu at 30%. However, as Hsu started gaining support, the party reversed the prediction, while the military of Penghu decided obstructing Hsu's campaign. Commander of the islands first told Hsu that they were throwing their weight behind Lee, then soldiers stopped campaign team from canvassing citing "martial law", and warned some residents against voting Hsu or risk blocking the ports. In light of the gross interference by the military, Hsu abandoned his election plan and returned to Kaohsiung.

Magistrate of Penghu
CandidatePartyVotes%
Lee Yu-lin Kuomintang 23,16472.27
Hsu Cheng-chingIndependent8,88927.73
Total32,053100.00
Valid votes32,05398.06
Invalid/blank votes6341.94
Total votes32,687100.00
Registered voters/turnout39,22283.34
Source: [14]

Miaoli

Liu Ting-kuo (劉定國) from the Kuomintang was elected.

Magistrate of Miaoli
CandidatePartyVotes %
Liu Ting-kuo Kuomintang ??
劉石郎Independent??
羅春桂Independent??
Total103,624100.00
Valid votes103,624
Invalid votes2,625
Total votes106,249100.00
Registered voters/turnout167,69063.37
Source: [14]

Taitung

Wu Chin-yu, Speaker of Taitung County Council, was nominated by the Kuomintang as the sole candidate of the election.

Magistrate of Taitung
CandidatePartyVotes%
吳金玉 Kuomintang 55,712100.00
Total55,712100.00
Valid votes55,71291.39
Invalid/blank votes5,2488.61
Total votes60,960100.00
Registered voters/turnout67,51890.29
Source: [14]

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