PASSING THE TORCH — President Ma Ying-jeou congratulates his successor as KMT chairman, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu.

The KMT elected Eric Chu, the recently reelected mayor of New Taipei City, as its new chairman on January 17. Elections were held following Ma Ying-jeou’s resignation as party head last December to take responsibility for the party’s drubbing in the general elections on November 29 last year. Chu, running uncontested for the post, garnered 99.61% of the votes cast by party members throughout Taiwan, the highest proportion ever for a KMT chair since the balloting was opened up to general party members in 2000. Lien Chan won 97.07% of the vote in 2001, while Ma won 94.18% in 2009.