Taiwan Elections 2018, Visualized

On November 24th, Taiwan elections saw a resurgence of KMT (Kuomingtang, 國民黨) backed candidates, after a few years of nearly total control by the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party, 民進黨).

On November 24th, Taiwan elections saw a resurgence of KMT (Kuomintang, 國民黨) backed candidates, after a few years of nearly total control by the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party, 民進黨). The results came as a surprise to many people, even those who already expected this election to be a rebuke to president Tsai Ing-Wen's (蔡英文) two years in power. On the ballot were the mayors for all cities in Taiwan, thousands of councillors, local representatives, and ten referendum questions.

The shift in power back toward the KMT was not the only thing that indicated a mobilization of more conservative voters. Every single referendum question that progressives rallied behind was voted down, including questions supporting marriage equality and a participation in the Olympics as Taiwan instead of Chinese Taipei.

Now that the election has happened, let's dive into the data to get a better picture of what actually happened and what this means for Taiwan and the world.