Taiwan's leader decides to resign as party chairman

Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou will announce his resignation as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) Party Wednesday after the KMT suffered a defeat in local elections held on Saturday,.

Ma will submit his official resignation at a meeting of the KMT Central Standing Committee Wednesday.

The leader said that, as the KMT chairman, he would like to shoulder the responsibility for the party's "unprecedented heavy defeat" in the elections.

"I need to apologize to all the supporters and those devoted to the establishment of the party for letting them down, and I must make profound reflection on the losses," said Ma, adding he will again make an apology to all party members with a bow at tomorrow's meeting.

The party should stay calm and strengthen solidarity, he said, urging all members to keep their faith and values.

In an act of solidarity for the incumbent party's defeat in the local elections, all officials from the Taiwan administrative authority resigned on Monday.

The officials, led by chief administrator Jiang Yi-huah who announced his resignation Saturday evening, said they wanted to take responsibility for their party's performance at the polls.

The KMT Party won six county and city chief seats in Taiwan's biggest-ever local elections, while the opposition Democratic Progressive Party landed 13 seats, according to the island's electoral authorities.

The other 3 seats of the island's 22 county and city chiefs were picked up by independent candidates.

The polls to select 11,130 holders of nine types of public office ranging from municipal mayors to county chiefs, city councilors, village leaders, known as "nine-in-one elections," were held from 8 am to 4 pm Saturday.

The elections are the biggest in history in terms of candidates and open positions. This is the first time Taiwan residents elected officials for 11,130 local government and legislative positions simultaneously.

Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou announced Tuesday he will step down as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, taking responsibility for the party's very poor showing in recent local elections.