Legislative elections were held in Taiwan on 12 January 2008 to elect the members of the Legislative Yuan. It was the first Legislative Yuan election after the constitutional amendments of 2005, which extended term length from three to four years, reduced seat count from 225 to 113, and introduced the current electoral system.

The results gave the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Pan-Blue Coalition a supermajority (86 of the 113 seats) in the legislature, handing a heavy defeat to then-President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party, which won the remaining 27 seats only. The junior partner in the Pan-Green Coalition, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, won no seats.

Two transitional justice referendums, both of which failed to pass due to low turnout, were held at the same time.

Legislature reform For the first time in the history of Taiwan, most members of the Legislative Yuan were to be elected from single-member districts: 73 of the 113 members were chosen in such districts by the plurality voting system (first-past-the-post). Parallel to the single member constituencies (not compensating for disproportionality in single-member districts), 34 seats were elected in one national district by party-list proportional representation. For these seats, only political parties whose votes exceed a five percent threshold were eligible for the allocation. Six further seats were reserved for Taiwanese aborigines. Therefore, each elector had two ballots under parallel voting.

The aboriginal members were elected by single non-transferable vote in two 3-member constituencies for lowland aborigines and highland aborigines respectively. This did not fulfill the promise in the treaty-like document A New Partnership Between the Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Taiwan, where each of the 13 recognized indigenous peoples was to get at least one seat, and the distinction between highland and lowland abolished.

The breakdown by administrative unit was:Central Election Commission

Jurisdiction Seats Jurisdiction Seats Jurisdiction Seats Taipei City 8 Taichung City 3 Kaohsiung County 4 Kaohsiung City 5 Changhua County 4 Pingtung County 3 Taipei County 12 Yunlin County 2 Yilan County 1 Keelung City 1 Nantou County 2 Hualien County 1 Taoyuan County 6 Chiayi County 2 Taitung County 1 Hsinchu City 1 Chiayi City 1 Penghu County 1 Hsinchu County 1 Tainan County 3 Kinmen County 1 Miaoli County 2 Tainan City 2 Lienchiang County 1 Taichung County 5

The delimitation of the single-member constituencies within the cities and counties was a major political issue, with bargaining between the government and the legislature. Of the 15 cities and counties to be partitioned (the ten others have only one seat), only seven of the districting schemes proposed by the CEC were approved in a normal way. The eight other schemes were decided by drawing lots: "Taipei and Taichung cities and Miaoli and Changhua counties will adopt the version suggested by the CEC, while Kaohsiung city will follow the consensus of the legislature. Taipei county will follow the proposal offered by the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union, Taoyuan county will adopt the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's scheme, and Pingtung county will use the scheme agreed upon by the Non-partisan Solidarity Union, People First Party, Kuomintang and Taiwan Solidarity Union."January 31, 2007.CEC Completes Legislative Constituency Redistricting . Taiwan Headlines. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.

Impact of the electoral system The elections were the first held under a new electoral system which had been approved by both major parties in constitutional amendments adopted in 2005, but which one political scientist has argued favored the KMT. The rules are set up so that every county has at least one seat, which gave a higher representation for smaller counties in which the KMT traditionally has done well. Northern counties tend to be marginally in favor of KMT, whereas southern counties tend to be strongly for DPP, and the single member system limits this advantage. The partially led to the result that the legislative count was highly in favor of the KMT while the difference in the number of votes cast for the KMT and DPP were less dramatic.

It was considered possible that the 2008 Taiwanese presidential election would be held on the same day as this election, but this was eventually not the case, with the presidential happening 10 weeks later, in March. Two referendums were held on the same date.

Results

Legislators elected through constituency and aborigine ballots

ConstituencyElected candidate(s)Popular voteTaipei City Constituency 159.81%Taipei City Constituency 2Justin Chou52.39%Taipei City Constituency 3John Chiang60.25%Taipei City Constituency 4Alex Tsai62.25%Taipei City Constituency 5Lin Yu-fang58.24%Taipei City Constituency 6Diane Lee66.80%Taipei City Constituency 7Alex Fai65.79%Taipei City Constituency 8Lai Shyh-bao71.81%Kaohsiung City Constituency 1Huang Chao-shun58.29%Kaohsiung City Constituency 2Kuan Bi-ling48.84%Kaohsiung City Constituency 349.13%Kaohsiung City Constituency 4Lee Fu-hsing51.32%Kaohsiung City Constituency 546.01%Taipei County Constituency 158.38%Taipei County Constituency 2Lin Shu-fen 43.17%Taipei County Constituency 3Yu Tian49.51%Taipei County Constituency 4Lee Hung-chun 51.73%Taipei County Constituency 5Huang Chih-hsiung52.32%Taipei County Constituency 6Lin Hung-chih56.93%Taipei County Constituency 7Wu Chin-chih 55.82%Taipei County Constituency 8Chang Ching-chung59.55%Taipei County Constituency 9Lin Te-fu69.61%Taipei County Constituency 10Lu Chia-chen60.10%Taipei County Constituency 11Lo Ming-tsai69.69%Taipei County Constituency 12Lee Ching-hua51.96%Keelung CityHsieh Kuo-liang67.79%Yilan County53.12%Taoyuan County Constituency 161.76%Taoyuan County Constituency 254.57%Taoyuan County Constituency 3John Wu63.22%Taoyuan County Constituency 462.42%Taoyuan County Constituency 5Chu Fong-chi63.76%Taoyuan County Constituency 665.02%Hsinchu CountyChiu Ching-chun66.52%Hsinchu City60.61%Miaoli County Constituency 1Lee Yi-ting58.01%Miaoli County Constituency 2Hsu Yao-chang45.62%Taichung County Constituency 1Liu Chuan-chung53.59%Taichung County Constituency 2Yen Ching-piao59.94%Taichung County Constituency 354.95%Taichung County Constituency 4Shyu Jong-shyong64.00%Taichung County Constituency 5Yang Chiung-ying57.68%Taichung City Constituency 161.29%Taichung City Constituency 2Lu Shiow-yen57.08%Taichung City Constituency 3Daniel Huang 54.91%Changhua County Constituency 1Chen Hsiu-ching44.96%Changhua County Constituency 260.02%Changhua County Constituency 345.33%Changhua County Constituency 441.26%Nantou County Constituency 1Wu Den-yih67.12%Nantou County Constituency 2Lin Ming-chen57.93%Yunlin County Constituency 156.24%Yunlin County Constituency 2Chang Sho-wen49.11%Chiayi County Constituency 1Wong Chung-chun57.47%Chiayi County Constituency 2Helen Chang57.05%Chiayi City46.70%Tainan County Constituency 154.57%Tainan County Constituency 2Huang Wei-cher59.16%Tainan County Constituency 3Lee Chun-yee52.66%Tainan City Constituency 1Chen Ting-fei50.27%Tainan City Constituency 2William Lai51.64%Kaohsiung County Constituency 1Chung Shao-ho 53.55%Kaohsiung County Constituency 2Lin Yi-shih55.27%Kaohsiung County Constituency 345.13%Kaohsiung County Constituency 450.22%Pingtung County Constituency 146.90%Pingtung County Constituency 256.82%Pingtung County Constituency 3Pan Men-an51.30%Hualien CountyFu Kun-chi 66.39%Taitung CountyJustin Huang61.09%Penghu CountyLin Pin-kuan50.71%Kinmen CountyChen Fu-hai37.31%Lienchiang CountyTsao Erh-chung49.72%Lowland AborigineLiao Kuo-tung (Kuomintang) Yang Jen-fu (Kuomintang) Lin Cheng-er (林正二) ( People First Party)Highland AborigineChien Tung-ming (Kuomintang) Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) (Kuomintang) Kao Chin Su-mei (Non-Partisan Solidarity Union )

Notes: Candidates marked are People First Party candidates running under the KMT party banner. Candidates marked are New Party candidates who joined the Kuomintang with New Party endorsement. Most names on the list follow the Tongyong Pinyin romanization used in the Central Election Committee website and may not accurately reflect the candidates' preferred romanization of their name.

Legislators elected through proportional representation and overseas Chinese ballots No.PartyElected/CandidatesCandidate List1Civil Party0/4Lei Chiao-yun Chien Han-ching Chen Hua Zu Kong Jen-yi2Taiwan Constitution Association0/3Huang Sin Jhu Huang Chien-ming3Taiwan Solidarity Union0/15 Chen Yung-hsing

Lai Shin-yuan Shih Chao-hsien

Chiang Wei-chun Huang Kun-huei Lo Chih-ming

Fan Sheng-bao Chang Chin-sheng Fu Hsin-yi4Third Society Party0/5Lin Chih-chen

Lin Chih-cheng5Democratic Progressive Party14/33 Chen Chieh-ju Tsai Huang-liang Twu Shiing-jer Chiu Yi-ying Ker Chien-ming Huang Sue-ying Wang Sing-nan Hsueh Ling

Chen Ying

Wong Chin-chu Chai Trong-rong Tien Chiu-chin Hung Chi-chang Chang Fu-mei

Hsu Jung-shu Yu Shyi-kun Yang Fang-wan Chou Ching-yu Chen Mao-nan Wu Ming-ming Chang Shiow-jen Fan Sun-lu Wang To-far Chang Ching-hui Chou Kuang-chou Liu Mei-te Shih Yi-fang Li Yi Jing You Ma Liang Chen-hsiang 6 New Party0/10 Chou Yang-shan Joanna Lei Kao Chia-chun Lin Mei-lun Hsu Tsung-mao Kuo Chia-fen Ke Chien-pu Sun Chi-chen Lee Sheng-feng Yok Mu-ming7Green Party Taiwan0/4 Mary Chen Chang Hui-shan

Wang Fang-ping8Taiwan Farmers' Party0/8 Chien Hsiao-feng Ke Chun-hsiung Ma Kuo-ching Chen Hsin-hung Fan Chiang Hsiu-chen Chen Chung-kuang Hung Mei-chen Chang Wen-cheng9Non-Partisan Solidarity Union0/2 Christina Liu Chen Chieh-ju10Kuomintang20/34 Wang Jin-pyng Hung Hsiu-chu Tseng Yung-chuan Tina Pan Chiu Yi

Lee Jih-chu Chang Hsien-yao

Lo Shu-lei Mark Li

Liu Shen-liang Cheng Li-wen

Chen Shu-hui

Huang Liang-hua

Hua Chen Yao Chiang-lin Chiu Mei-jui

Lu Chun-lin Chiu Jun-jung11Home Party0/7 Yao Li-ming Chen Yao-chang

Huang Hui-chun Tsung Ying-yi Wei Yao-chien12Hakka Party0/3Sung Chu-yu Chung Deng-ting Peng Yun-huang

Notes: Candidates marked with a ^ are overseas Chinese candidates. Elected candidates are marked with a next to their name. Candidates with are People First Party candidates running on a joint ticket with the Kuomintang。 Green Party Taiwan candidate Wang Fang Ping is endorsed by the coalition 人民火大行動聯盟 - 不分區立委候選人 王芳萍簡介 : 。 Most names on the list follow the Tongyong Pinyin romanization used in the Central Election Committee website and may not accurately reflect the candidates' preferred romanization of their name.

Legislators elected through subsequent by-elections DateConstituencyOutgoing memberIncoming member14 March 2009Miaoli 1Lee Yi-tingKang Shih-ju28 March 2009Taipei City 6Diane LeeChiang Nai-shin26 September 2009Yunlin 2Chang Sho-wenLiu Chien-kuo5 December 2009Nantou 1Wu Den-yihMa Wen-chun9 January 2010Taichung County 3Chiang Lien-fu (江連福)Tony Jian9 January 2010TaitungJustin HuangLie Kuen-cheng (賴坤成)9 January 2010Taoyuan 2Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井)Kuo June-tsung (郭榮宗)27 February 2010Chiayi County 2Helen ChangChen Ming-wen27 February 2010Taoyuan 3John WuHuang Jen-shu (黃仁杼)27 February 2010Hsinchu CountyChiu Ching-chunPerng Shaw-jiin27 February 2010HualienFu Kun-chi 王廷升5 March 2011Kaohsiung 4 (Kaohsiung County 3 in 2008)Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺)5 March 2011Tainan 4 (Tainan City 2 in 2008)William LaiHsu Tain-tsair

Impact With this election the KMT and the Pan-Blue Coalition have more than the two-thirds majority needed to propose a recall election of the President and if NPSU votes are counted with the pan-Blue coalition, more than the three-quarters majority needed to propose constitutional amendments.

Reaction from People's Republic of China The government of People's Republic of China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, remained largely silent on the election result. State media carried brief updates of results and passed no comment on either the referendum or the Kuomintang victory.新华网专题报道