Taiwan's Ma to step down as ruling party head after polls defeat

Taipei

TAIWAN'S President Ma Ying-jeou announced on Tuesday that he will step down as chairman of the ruling party in the wake of an "unprecedented huge defeat" in the island's biggest ever local elections.

The Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), which Mr Ma has chaired since 2009, suffered massive losses at the polls last Saturday - seen as a key barometer ahead of the 2016 presidential race. The KMT lost five of Taiwan's six large municipalities - the most hotly contested seats - in the local polls. It retains control of only six out of 22 cities and counties, compared to 15 prior to the polls.