TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The latest poll from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) on Monday (Jan. 20) shows the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) enjoys a larger base than the rival Kuomintang (KMT), NOWnews reported on Monday (Jan. 20).

The results show that 47.8 percent of those surveyed support the DPP, versus 22.9 percent who support the KMT. Scholar Yang Sen-hong (楊憲宏) said though KMT support was high in the past, the poll showed its support is currently lower than that of swing voters — meaning the DPP will likely rule the country for a long time.

Support for the two main political parties has changed greatly over the past one and a half years, with support for the DPP taking a dive after the local elections in 2018. TPOF Chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said support for the party has bounced back and hit a fresh peak.

“Support for the KMT received in the 2018 local elections has gone with the wind,” You continued. “It’s a strange phenomenon that a party that administers three special municipalities and 12 cities and counties has only 23 percent of support, which was close to the lowest point of 16 percent it polled in May 2016.”

The TPOF commissioned poll was conducted by Focus Survey Research via telephone interviews on Jan. 14-15, 2020. A total of 1,078 people more than 20 years old and living in Taiwan were interviewed. The poll has a 95 percent confidence rating, with a 2.98 percent margin of error.