| Country: | Taiwan |
| Type: | legislative |
| Previous Election: | 2004 Taiwanese legislative election |
| Previous Year: | 2004 |
| Election Date: | [1] |
| Elected Members: | 7th Legislative Yuan |
| Next Election: | 2012 Taiwanese legislative election |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
| Seats For Election: | All 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan |
| Majority Seats: | 57 |
| Registered: | 17,179,656 |
| Turnout: | 58.50% (0.85pp) |
| Image1: | Wuboxiong election infobox.png |
| Leader1: | Wu Po-hsiung |
| Party1: | Kuomintang |
| Alliance1: | Pan-Blue Coalition |
| Last Election1: | 79 seats |
| Seats1: | 81 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| Leader2: | Chen Shui-bian |
| Party2: | Democratic Progressive Party |
| Alliance2: | Pan-Green Coalition |
| Last Election2: | 89 seats |
| Seats2: | 27 |
| Seat Change2: | 62 |
| 1Blank: | Constituency vote |
| 2Blank: | Party vote |
| 1Data1: | 5,291,512 53.50% |
| 1Data2: | 3,775,352 38.17% |
| 1Data4: | 239,317 2.42% |
| 1Data5: | 28,254 0.29% |
| 2Data1: | 5,010,801 51.23% |
| 2Data2: | 3,610,106 36.91% |
| 2Data4: | 68,527 0.70% |
| 2Data5: | Did not stand |
| Map2 Image: | 2008ROCLY-cartogram.svg |
| Map2 Caption: | Election cartogram |
| Before Election: | Wang Jin-pyng |
| Before Party: | Kuomintang |
| After Election: | Wang Jin-pyng |
| After Party: | Kuomintang |
Legislative elections were held in Taiwan on 12 January 2008 to elect the members of the Legislative Yuan. It was the first Legislative Yuan election after the constitutional amendments of 2005, which extended term length from three to four years, reduced seat count from 225 to 113, and introduced the current electoral system.
The results gave the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Pan-Blue Coalition a supermajority (86 of the 113 seats) in the legislature, handing a heavy defeat to then-President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party, which won the remaining 27 seats only. The junior partner in the Pan-Green Coalition, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, won no seats.
Two transitional justice referendums, both of which failed to pass due to low turnout, were held at the same time.
For the first time in the history of Taiwan, most members of the Legislative Yuan were to be elected from single-member districts: 73 of the 113 members were chosen in such districts by the plurality voting system (first-past-the-post). Parallel to the single member constituencies (not compensating for disproportionality in single-member districts), 34 seats were elected in one national district by party-list proportional representation. For these seats, only political parties whose votes exceed a five percent threshold were eligible for the allocation. Six further seats were reserved for Taiwanese aborigines. Therefore, each elector had two ballots under parallel voting.
The aboriginal members were elected by single non-transferable vote in two 3-member constituencies for lowland aborigines and highland aborigines respectively. This did not fulfill the promise in the treaty-like document A New Partnership Between the Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Taiwan, where each of the 13 recognized indigenous peoples was to get at least one seat, and the distinction between highland and lowland abolished.
The breakdown by administrative unit was:[2]
| Jurisdiction | Seats | Jurisdiction | Seats | Jurisdiction | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 12 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 5 |
The delimitation of the single-member constituencies within the cities and counties was a major political issue, with bargaining between the government and the legislature. Of the 15 cities and counties to be partitioned (the ten others have only one seat), only seven of the districting schemes proposed by the CEC were approved in a normal way. The eight other schemes were decided by drawing lots: "Taipei and Taichung cities and Miaoli and Changhua counties will adopt the version suggested by the CEC, while Kaohsiung city will follow the consensus of the legislature. Taipei county will follow the proposal offered by the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union, Taoyuan county will adopt the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's scheme, and Pingtung county will use the scheme agreed upon by the Non-partisan Solidarity Union, People First Party, Kuomintang and Taiwan Solidarity Union."[3]
The elections were the first held under a new electoral system which had been approved by both major parties in constitutional amendments adopted in 2005, but which one political scientist has argued favored the KMT. The rules are set up so that every county has at least one seat, which gave a higher representation for smaller counties in which the KMT traditionally has done well. Northern counties tend to be marginally in favor of KMT, whereas southern counties tend to be strongly for DPP, and the single member system limits this advantage. The partially led to the result that the legislative count was highly in favor of the KMT while the difference in the number of votes cast for the KMT and DPP were less dramatic.[4]
It was considered possible that the 2008 Taiwanese presidential election would be held on the same day as this election, but this was eventually not the case, with the presidential happening 10 weeks later, in March. Two referendums were held on the same date.
See main article: List of candidates in the 2008 Taiwanese legislative election.
| Constituency | Elected candidate(s) | Popular vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei City Constituency 1 | 59.81% | |||
| Taipei City Constituency 2 | Justin Chou | 52.39% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 3 | John Chiang | 60.25% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 4 | Alex Tsai | 62.25% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 5 | Lin Yu-fang | 58.24% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 6 | Diane Lee | 66.80% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 7 | Alex Fai | 65.79% | ||
| Taipei City Constituency 8 | Lai Shyh-bao | 71.81% | ||
| Kaohsiung City Constituency 1 | Huang Chao-shun | 58.29% | ||
| Kaohsiung City Constituency 2 | Kuan Bi-ling | 48.84% | ||
| Kaohsiung City Constituency 3 | 49.13% | |||
| Kaohsiung City Constituency 4 | Lee Fu-hsing | 51.32% | ||
| Kaohsiung City Constituency 5 | 46.01% | |||
| Taipei County Constituency 1 | 58.38% | |||
| Taipei County Constituency 2 | 43.17% | |||
| Taipei County Constituency 3 | Yu Tian | 49.51% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 4 | 51.73% | |||
| Taipei County Constituency 5 | Huang Chih-hsiung | 52.32% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 6 | Lin Hung-chih | 56.93% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 7 | 55.82% | |||
| Taipei County Constituency 8 | Chang Ching-chung | 59.55% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 9 | Lin Te-fu | 69.61% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 10 | Lu Chia-chen | 60.10% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 11 | Lo Ming-tsai | 69.69% | ||
| Taipei County Constituency 12 | Lee Ching-hua | 51.96% | ||
| Keelung City | Hsieh Kuo-liang | 67.79% | ||
| Yilan County | 53.12% | |||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 1 | 61.76% | |||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 2 | 54.57% | |||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 3 | John Wu | 63.22% | ||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 4 | 62.42% | |||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 5 | Chu Fong-chi | 63.76% | ||
| Taoyuan County Constituency 6 | 65.02% | |||
| Hsinchu County | Chiu Ching-chun | 66.52% | ||
| Hsinchu City | 60.61% | |||
| Miaoli County Constituency 1 | Li Yi-ting | 58.01% | ||
| Miaoli County Constituency 2 | Hsu Yao-chang | 45.62% | ||
| Taichung County Constituency 1 | Liu Chuan-chung | 53.59% | ||
| Taichung County Constituency 2 | Yen Ching-piao | 59.94% | ||
| Taichung County Constituency 3 | 54.95% | |||
| Taichung County Constituency 4 | Shyu Jong-shyong | 64.00% | ||
| Taichung County Constituency 5 | Yang Chiung-ying | 57.68% | ||
| Taichung City Constituency 1 | 61.29% | |||
| Taichung City Constituency 2 | Lu Shiow-yen | 57.08% | ||
| Taichung City Constituency 3 | 54.91% | |||
| Changhua County Constituency 1 | Chen Hsiu-ching | 44.96% | ||
| Changhua County Constituency 2 | 60.02% | |||
| Changhua County Constituency 3 | 45.33% | |||
| Changhua County Constituency 4 | 41.26% | |||
| Nantou County Constituency 1 | Wu Den-yih | 67.12% | ||
| Nantou County Constituency 2 | Lin Ming-chen | 57.93% | ||
| Yunlin County Constituency 1 | 56.24% | |||
| Yunlin County Constituency 2 | Chang Sho-wen | 49.11% | ||
| Chiayi County Constituency 1 | Wong Chung-chun | 57.47% | ||
| Chiayi County Constituency 2 | Helen Chang | 57.05% | ||
| Chiayi City | 46.70% | |||
| Tainan County Constituency 1 | 54.57% | |||
| Tainan County Constituency 2 | Huang Wei-cher | 59.16% | ||
| Tainan County Constituency 3 | Lee Chun-yee | 52.66% | ||
| Tainan City Constituency 1 | Chen Ting-fei | 50.27% | ||
| Tainan City Constituency 2 | William Lai | 51.64% | ||
| Kaohsiung County Constituency 1 | 53.55% | |||
| Kaohsiung County Constituency 2 | Lin Yi-shih | 55.27% | ||
| Kaohsiung County Constituency 3 | 45.13% | |||
| Kaohsiung County Constituency 4 | 50.22% | |||
| Pingtung County Constituency 1 | 46.90% | |||
| Pingtung County Constituency 2 | 56.82% | |||
| Pingtung County Constituency 3 | Pan Men-an | 51.30% | ||
| Hualien County | 66.39% | |||
| Taitung County | Justin Huang | 61.09% | ||
| Penghu County | Lin Pin-kuan | 50.71% | ||
| Kinmen County | Chen Fu-hai | 37.31% | ||
| Lienchiang County | Tsao Erh-chung | 49.72% | ||
| Lowland Aborigine | Liao Kuo-tung (Kuomintang) Yang Jen-fu (Kuomintang) Lin Cheng-er (林正二) (People First Party) | |||
| Highland Aborigine | Chien Tung-ming (Kuomintang) Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) (Kuomintang) Kao Chin Su-mei (Non-Partisan Solidarity Union) | |||
| No. | Party | Elected/Candidates | Candidate List | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Civil Party | 0/4 | ||
| 2 | Taiwan Constitution Association | 0/3 | ||
| 3 | Taiwan Solidarity Union | 0/15 | ||
| 4 | Third Society Party | 0/5 | ||
| 5 | Democratic Progressive Party | 14/33 | ||
| 6 | New Party | 0/10 | ||
| 7 | Green Party Taiwan | 0/4 | ||
| 8 | Taiwan Farmers' Party | 0/8 | ||
| 9 | Non-Partisan Solidarity Union | 0/2 | ||
| 10 | Kuomintang | 20/34 | ||
| 11 | Home Party | 0/7 | ||
| 12 | Hakka Party | 0/3 |
| Date | Constituency | Outgoing member | Incoming member | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 March 2009 | Miaoli 1 | Li Yi-ting | Kang Shih-ju | |||
| 28 March 2009 | Taipei City 6 | Diane Lee | Chiang Nai-shin | |||
| 26 September 2009 | Yunlin 2 | Chang Sho-wen | Liu Chien-kuo | |||
| 5 December 2009 | Nantou 1 | Wu Den-yih | Ma Wen-chun | |||
| 9 January 2010 | Taichung County 3 | Chiang Lien-fu (江連福) | Tony Jian | |||
| 9 January 2010 | Taitung | Justin Huang | Lie Kuen-cheng (賴坤成) | |||
| 9 January 2010 | Taoyuan 2 | Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井) | Kuo June-tsung (郭榮宗) | |||
| 27 February 2010 | Chiayi County 2 | Helen Chang | Chen Ming-wen | |||
| 27 February 2010 | Taoyuan 3 | John Wu | Huang Jen-shu (黃仁杼) | |||
| 27 February 2010 | Hsinchu County | Chiu Ching-chun | Perng Shaw-jiin | |||
| 27 February 2010 | Hualien | 王廷升 | ||||
| 5 March 2011 | Kaohsiung 4(Kaohsiung County 3 in 2008) | Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) | ||||
| 5 March 2011 | Tainan 4 (Tainan City 2 in 2008) | William Lai | Hsu Tain-tsair | |||
With this election the KMT and the Pan-Blue Coalition have more than the two-thirds majority needed to propose a recall election of the President and if NPSU votes are counted with the pan-Blue coalition, more than the three-quarters majority needed to propose constitutional amendments.
The government of People's Republic of China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, remained largely silent on the election result. State media carried brief updates of results and passed no comment on either the referendum or the Kuomintang victory.[7]
The government of China appointed 13 representatives for Taiwan to its own National People's Congress on the same day. These delegates are mostly descendants of Taiwanese who emigrated to the Mainland, or Communist supporters who fled Taiwan. Their positions are ceremonial as the PRC do not exercise effective jurisdiction over Taiwan.[8]