Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung mayoral candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday won the election, as forecast by pre-election polls, ending Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) incumbent Jason Hu’s (胡志強) 13-year-governance of the city.
Lin garnered 847,284 votes, or 57.06 percent of the vote, defeating Hu’s 637,531. The DPP’s Lin had a landslide victory in the race, securing 209,753 more votes than Hu and 117,000 more than in 2010.
In the mayoral election four years ago, Hu received 730,284 votes, or 51.12 percent of the vote, while then-DPP candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) received 698,358 votes. Even then the vote gap between the two was narrow, with Hu leading by only a little more than 30,000 votes.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The poll numbers before the election saw Lin in the lead, and the result confirmed the prediction.
As it became clear that he would lose the election before the official result was announced, the incumbent mayor appeared before the supporting crowd at about 7pm to express his gratitude to his supporters.
“The majority of the votes have been tallied. I think there’s no more need to defer my acknowledgment of defeat,” Hu said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“This is my own failure. I am not good enough and didn’t work hard enough. However, my campaign team has fought a good, flawless fight. There was no flaw in anybody’s performance or support during the campaign,” Hu said, adding that he “realized there was a possibility of losing the race.”
Lin also made a speech to his supporters before the Central Election Committee’s official statistics were announced, expressing gratitude and promising that he would be a mayor of all the city’s residents.
“I have to thank those who have voted for me to realize the ideals I’ve promised. However, I also have to express my gratitude, especially to those who have not been able to vote for me. Thank you for participating in this election, and your support will be the force to push us forward in the future,” Lin said.
Photo: Liao Yau-tung, Taipei Times
“We have received strong support particularly in the region that used to be Taichung County before the merger, and this has confirmed our observation that there is a problem of marginalization of the region and that a widened urban-rural divide exists,” he said. “Eliminating the gap and altering the uneven development will be our goal in the future.”
“The election has taken us beyond the barriers of generations and political parties. We have seen many young people’s passionate participation this time, reflected in their high turnout rate. We have also seen many who might have previously voted for the pan-blue camp voting for us this time,” Lin said.
“The votes, I believe, are not for me personally. This is a demonstration of civilism (市民主義) and Greater Taichung’s residents’ hope for a change,” he said.
GRAPHIC: TT
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
RSS