Yunlin is just the tip of the iceberg

You knew I would get all hot and bothered by this story:

The Tainan branch of the Taiwan High Court yesterday annulled the election victory of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文).

The ruling is final. Chang may not appeal....

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said that the party would choose a candidate for the by-election in Yunlin within a week, adding that the party was confident of winning the legislative seat.

Several people within the KMT are interested in the seat; the Liberty Times reports two people are gunning for the DPP nomination, namely Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) and Yunlin County Deputy Commissioner Lee Ying-yuan (李應元).

Expect infighting; Yunlin is a faction-ridden place, like most districts in Taiwan. This particular district is the coastal district, so fisherman's organizations will be at least as important as farmers' organizations.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway to begin radically re-mapping Taiwan's townships, villages and cities thanks to the redrawing that will be triggered by the creation of more special municipalities. That will probably in turn trigger redistricting at the legislative level, which will create new opportunities for gerrymandering.

The redrawing process will be messy and full of intrigue, folks!