Taiwan is often hit by earthquakes, but over the weekend it was shaken by a political one. In a series of local elections, the ruling pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which came to power in 2016 in a landslide victory, lost more than half the cities and counties it held and is left with only a handful.
The China-friendly former ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) made a dramatic comeback, winning 15 of the 22 cities and counties in Taiwan. The result is a major upset for President Tsai Ing-wen, who has resigned as party leader, and could indicate a victory for the KMT in 2020's presidential and parliamentary elections.
