Supporters wave flags after Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je won the local elections, in Taipei
Supporters wave flags after Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je won the local elections, in Taipei November 29, 2014. An independent candidate backed by Taiwan's opposition, pro-independence party on Saturday claimed victory in local elections as the next mayor of Taipei, breaking the ruling party's 16-year hold on the island's capital. The win by Ko, 55, a trauma surgeon, is a setback for the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) ahead of a presidential election in less than two years. Ko defeated KMT candidate Sean Lien, the son of a wealthy, politically-connected family. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang