Donovan’s Deep Dives: The wave no one saw comingThe virtually unknown Han Kuo-yu managed to win the Kaohsiung mayoral election in 2018, reversing the electoral fortunes of the KMT. By Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) / Staff ColumnistThe 2018 nine-in-one local elections were a wild ride that no one saw coming. Entering that year, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was demoralized and in disarray — and fearing an existential crisis. It is hard to see how, and who that candidate would be, but then at this point in 2018, no one saw the Han Wave coming either. Donovan’s Deep Dives is a regular column by Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) who writes in-depth analysis on everything about Taiwan’s political scene and geopolitics.

Source: Taipei Times January 16, 2026 17:16 UTC