World Notes TAIWAN

There was never a chance that Taiwan's long-ruling Kuomintang would be defeated in national elections earlier this month. The suspense centered on whether the Democratic Progressive Party, in its maiden contest as a legal opposition, would even dent the KMT's armor. The results, announced last week, surprised many observers. D.P.P. candidates won 21 out of 101 available seats in the Legislative Yuan, enabling the party for the first time to sponsor new bills.

In the overall vote for both legislative and local races, the D.P.P. captured 30% of the ballots and independent candidates took 11%. That left the KMT, despite its control of the broadcast media and its fat campaign coffers, with a 59% share, an all-time low. The D.P.P.'s strong showing underscored growing resentment toward the KMT's 40-year political monopoly on Taiwan.