The campaign focus for the KMT's Lien Chan (
Yesterday, Lien's camp staged a rally in Taipei that campaign officials claimed attracted over 100,000 participants. The marchers gathered at the Taipei City Government plaza and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall at around 3pm under a steady rain. Lien, who was broadcasting a platform presentation on TV at the time, joined the parade later.
The parade moved to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, for a rock-and-roll concert organized by Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
Tension ran high among supporters when the parade passed Soong's campaign headquarters on Jenai Road, but no incidents were reported.
Answering accusations that government ministries handed out NT$300 per head to employees and promised them a day off to make up for participating in the parade, Lien's spokesperson, Chu Li-lun (
At the concert, emceed by a lineup of popular entertainers to attract young voters Lien joined a singalong of a Credence Clearwater Revival -- a 1960's folk rock band -- tune with running mate Vincent Siew (
Meanwhile, the turnout at Soong's rally in Taoyuan County's sports stadium fell short of expectations, leading some analysts to remark that Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh's (
Soong's running mate Chang Chao-hsiung (
At the rally, New Party legislator Hsieh Chi-ta (
The independent candidate also tried to repair some of the damage inflicted on his campaign through the ongoing financial scandal that surrounds him. Soong said his son had sold three houses in the US that have been cited in the scandal as being paid for by embezzled KMT party funds. Half the money from the sales, he said, would go to his campaign, while the other half will go to victims of the 921 earthquake.
He also made assurances that neither his daughter-in-law, nor his granddaughter are bearers of US passports, which the DPP had alleged earlier in the week.
Soong also asked voters to "rediscover the KMT's true soul." Soong also lashed out at Chen's pro-independence image.
Both the KMT and DPP campaigns are scheduled to hold parades in Keelung City today.
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