Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Thursday urged the electorate to vote for the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Saturday's local elections, saying only KMT could bring Taiwan peace and prosperity to the country. Ma made the call in his capacity as party chairman. Analysts see the elections as test of Ma's popularity, a year and a half after he came to power.
"The KMT can deliver Taiwan out of its predicament, can make Taiwan move forward, can bring peace and prosperity to Taiwan," he said.
Regarding the opposition criticism of KMT candidates' alleged vote buying and his use of government resources to stump for the party, Ma said the KMT was not perfect, but was carrying out reform and correcting mistakes.
Saturday's local elections are to select county magistrates and city mayors, county and city councilors and township chiefs.
The focus is on the election of county magistrates and city mayors - 17 seats in total - because they run Taiwan's local governments.
The KMT holds 13 seats, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party holds three and the New Party holds one.
Analysts said the KMT faces a tough battle in several counties but would not lose many seats.
"Fewer than three seats will change hands," Niu Tze-hsun, associate professor at the Chinese Cultural University, said.
"The real battle is next year's election of leaders of the five counties and cities which are now combined and will hold a separate election as they are directly governed by the central government," he said.
"That election will be a rehearsal for the 2012 presidential polls," Niu said.
