Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) candidate, has won the island's leadership election on Saturday.

Ma Ying-jeou has won the island's leadership election on Saturday. [Photo: Sina.com]

Special report: Taiwan's leadership election

In a three-way race, incumbent Taiwan leader and ruling Kuomintang (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou competed for Taiwan's next leadership role with major opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and the minority People First Party (PFP) chairman James Soong.

 

At a press conference at the DPP headquarters, Tsai admitted her failure in the election and announced that she would resign from the post of DPP chairwoman.

 

More than 14,000 polling stations opened across the island. Local election affairs authority estimated that about 80 percent of the island's 18 million eligible voters turned up at polling stations.

 

The "legislative" elections were held simultaneously in Taiwan, for the first time, in order to save costs.

For the "legislative" poll, 283 candidates are running for 79 directly elected regional and aboriginal seats, and 127 candidates from 11 parties are vying for 34 at-large seats. Taiwan's "legislature" has 113 seats.