KMT Loses Keelung Council Speaker Position for First Time 正副議長選舉4縣市跑票 藍痛失基隆議長

The election results for the speaker and deputy speaker in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Hualien and Keelung showed that KMT candidates received less votes than the number of KMT councilors. Therefore, the KMT plans to conduct a review and discuss discipline. 

For the first time in 72 years, Keelung City Council will be led by a DPP instead of a KMT speaker. KMT lost by just one vote because KMT Councilor Chang Fang-li switched sides and voted for DPP Councilor Tung Tzu-wei. Chang explained it was to pay her debt of gratitude toward Tung's grandfather Tung Yung. KMT Keelung Chapter Chairperson Wu Kuo-sheng said disciplinary actions must be taken.

Wu Kuo-sheng, Chairperson, KMT Keelung City Chapter: “Her KMT membership would most likely be taken away. We will be holding an evaluation and discipline committee meeting tomorrow. Her action was individual behavior and it reveals the ugly side of human nature. ”

KMT won 15 out of 22 city and county council speaker positions in all, while DPP won four and independent took three. However, KMT lost the Keelung City Council speaker position for the first time since 1950. 

Eric Chu, KMT Chairperson (Dec. 25, 2022): “We have to unite in force. We feel regretful to hear about members violating the party code. We will decide what to do after the evaluation and discipline committee meeting.”

KMT's momentum seemed to have slowed in the following city and county council elections. In Keelung, Hualien, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, KMT councilors were found voting for another party instead. Kaohsiung City Deputy Speaker-elect Tseng Chun-chieh seceded from KMT before the election to run the election as an independent while Hualien County Council Speaker Chang Chun seceded from KMT after the election. Coordination within the party seemed to have fallen apart and KMT Chairperson Eric Chu's leadership is challenged.

Chu Chao-hsiang, Professor, Dept. of East Asian Studies, NTNU: “It is of course a great challenge to the chairperson's authority if local factions refuse to follow central orders. The KMT enjoyed victory in mayor and magistrate elections but now they need to balance things out locally and make progressive adjustments. I think it would take about half a year or so to see whether there will be big changes to the local KMT factions.  ”
 
The scholar said in the present time and age, political party members do not feel as strongly bound by party discipline as was in the past. The KMT needs to reconsider and restructure relationships with local party members, and strengthen communication to lower possible impact on the 2024 presidential election.

基隆市議長選舉變天，國民黨張芳麗倒戈民進黨童子瑋，關鍵一票讓民進黨奪下議長。張芳麗說為了「報恩」，因為曾受童子瑋爺爺童永的幫助，但國民黨基隆市黨部主委吳國勝直言，一定要開鍘。

國民黨基隆市黨部主委吳國勝說明：「應該是會開除黨籍，就是明天要開完會，我們有考紀會，明天會開考紀會，現在這個都是個人行為，這個都是人性醜陋的一面。」

國民黨在22縣市議長選舉攻下15席、民進黨4席及無黨籍3席，但藍營丟失關鍵基隆市議長寶座，是自1950年以來，首度失去議會主導權。

國民黨主席朱立倫(2022.12.25)表示：「我們一定要團結，對於任何違反黨紀我們都覺得遺憾，考紀會也會在事後積極的來處理。」

國民黨九合一大選橫掃13縣市，卻沒能在正副議長選舉延續氣勢，基隆、花蓮、台南及高雄都有違紀跑票，高雄副議長曾俊傑被綠營挖牆腳，選前退黨；花蓮縣議長張峻，當選後退黨，不只讓黨中央協調機制，失靈收場，更衝擊黨主席朱立倫領導威望，黨內分裂浮出警訊。

師大政治所教授曲兆祥分析：「地方不聽中央的號令，這當然對中央，特別是對黨主席的權威來講，是會有很大的影響。國民黨在這個縣市長的部分，選舉的成績不錯，所以說可能這兩者之間，還在一個動態的平衡，可能要再隔半年左右，大概才看得出來說，國民黨的地方派系是不是有大幅度鬆動。」

學者分析，政黨約束力大不如前，國民黨須重新思考與地方原有的互動模式是否失效，強化與地方派系的溝通，降低對2024的衝擊。