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We didn't do enough'
Taiwan president apologised for election setback.
'I felt unease at the outcome and thought that I should take responsibility. Hereby I, as the chairman of the Kuomintang, would like to apologise to our supporters,' Mr Ma said.
TAIPEI - TAIWAN President Ma Ying-jeou apologised on Wednesday to party supporters for a setback in local elections, after facing mounting pressure to shoulder responsibility.
The apology came four days after Ma's pro-China Kuomintang party lost ground in polls for county chiefs and city mayors. The elections were widely considered a mid-term test of Mr Ma's performance during his 19 months in power.
'I felt unease at the outcome and thought that I should take responsibility. Hereby I, as the chairman of the Kuomintang, would like to apologise to our supporters,' the president said.
'As we hadn?t done enough (since last year), our supporters were disappointed and did not vote (for us),' Mr Ma said, adding that his party would press for further reforms to win back support.
Both Kuomintang members and independent observers had encouraged Mr Ma to issue some type of apology in his capacity as leader of the party.
The Kuomintang lost two counties in the local elections while the leading opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained one. The DPP, which favours independence from China, lost power to the Kuomintang in 2008 after an eight-year rule marred by corruption. -- AFP
Taiwan president apologised for election setback.
'I felt unease at the outcome and thought that I should take responsibility. Hereby I, as the chairman of the Kuomintang, would like to apologise to our supporters,' Mr Ma said.
TAIPEI - TAIWAN President Ma Ying-jeou apologised on Wednesday to party supporters for a setback in local elections, after facing mounting pressure to shoulder responsibility.
The apology came four days after Ma's pro-China Kuomintang party lost ground in polls for county chiefs and city mayors. The elections were widely considered a mid-term test of Mr Ma's performance during his 19 months in power.
'I felt unease at the outcome and thought that I should take responsibility. Hereby I, as the chairman of the Kuomintang, would like to apologise to our supporters,' the president said.
'As we hadn?t done enough (since last year), our supporters were disappointed and did not vote (for us),' Mr Ma said, adding that his party would press for further reforms to win back support.
Both Kuomintang members and independent observers had encouraged Mr Ma to issue some type of apology in his capacity as leader of the party.
The Kuomintang lost two counties in the local elections while the leading opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained one. The DPP, which favours independence from China, lost power to the Kuomintang in 2008 after an eight-year rule marred by corruption. -- AFP
