Local elections were held on 24 November 2018^[2][3] in Taiwan, to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties (cities). Elected officials would serve a four-year term. Polling stations were open from 08:00 to 16:00 on the election day.^[4]

Quick Facts 22 magistrates/mayors and others, Registered ...

2018 Taiwanese local elections

← 2014 24 November 2018 (2018-11-24)[1] 2022 →
22 magistrates/mayors and others[lower-alpha 1]
Registered	19,102,502
Turnout	66.11% 0.20 pp[lower-alpha 2]
First party Second party   Leader Wu Den-yih Tsai Ing-wen Party Kuomintang DPP Leader since 20 August 2017 28 May 2014 Last election 6 seats, 40.81% 13 seats, 47.97% Seats won 15 6 Seat change 9 7 Popular vote 4,182,875[lower-alpha 3] 3,399,976[lower-alpha 4] Percentage 48.79%[lower-alpha 5] 39.66%[lower-alpha 6] Swing 7.98 pp 8.31 pp Special municipality councillors 175 137 County/city councillors 219 101 Township/city mayors 80 40
KMT hold      DPP hold      IND hold      KMT gain      DPP gain      IND gain

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The elections resulted in a substantial defeat for the DPP. The DPP previously held 13 of 22 municipalities and counties, but won only 6 in this election due to widespread public distrust, a de facto vote of no confidence on President Tsai's Administration, both politically (relations with China), economically (agriculture, tourism), and socially (pollution, labor laws, wages), which were reflected in the series of referendum results.^{[citation needed]} The KMT won back executive control of 7 municipalities and counties from the DPP, while Ko Wen-je won his re-election for Taipei mayor.

This local election was seen as the first test for the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen since assuming office in May 2016. The Central Election Commission opened election registration to candidates on 27 August 2018.^[5]

The Democratic Progressive Party has won the popular vote against the Kuomintang in all of the last three elections.^[6] This trend has continued in the 2016 elections, where the Democratic Progressive Party won a majority in the Legislative Yuan with 68 seats and the presidency.

President Tsai Ing-wen announced her resignation as chairperson for the Democratic Progressive Party; Premier William Lai also unilaterally announced his resignation on Facebook ; his resignation was approved in 2019. The DPP secretary general Hung Yao-fu and Secretary-General to the President Chen Chu also announced their resignations. Following the elections, the Taiwanese foreign minister claimed that China had meddled in the elections.^[7]

Defector and self-proclaimed former spy William Wang claimed that the government of China had successfully supported candidates in the 2018 Taiwanese local elections.^[8]

• 2019 Taiwanese legislative by-elections
• 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral recall vote
• 2020 Taiwanese presidential election
• 2020 Taiwanese legislative election