Taiwan's high court ruled on Friday in favor of an appeal by Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu, whose election was annulled earlier this year over campaign violations, local media reported.

The verdict -- which is final -- means Chen, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, will remain mayor of Taiwan's second-largest city.

Following last December's election, Kuomintang Party (KMT) candidate Huang Chun-ying filed a suit in Kaohsiung district court against Chen, who won the race by just over 1,100 votes. There were 767,800 votes cast, according to Taiwan media reports.

In June, the lower court issued an initial ruling that annulled Chen's election.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2007)