Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), won reelection last night when he triumphed over his chief competitor, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
Hu declared victory after receiving about 250,000 votes, marking an improvement on his performance four years ago, when he received about 213,000 votes. A feared pan-blue split did not affect Hu's support base, with the People First Party's Shen Chih-hui (
Fireworks immediately lit up the sky after Hu announced victory from his campaign headquarters. Supporters waved flags and shouted "Congratulations, Mayor Hu! Go, go, Mayor Hu" as he made a victory speech.
"I want to thank all residents for your support over the last four years. We will change Taichung City for the better, and make it the brightest city in the Asia-Pacific region," Hu said.
Meanwhile, Lin was admitting defeat from his campaign headquarters.
"This temporary failure gives us a chance to collect our thoughts and reflect on what has happened. I hope this experience will be helpful for the democratic movement in the future," he said yesterday, as he bowed to thank his supporters.
Hu's success in winning a second term was expected, as he enjoyed a steady lead in polls from the beginning of his campaign.
Although the race went largely unnoticed as the electoral focus fell on more unpredictable battles around the country, a series of attacks on Hu by the DPP recently did turn some of the attention back onto what was an intense battle.
The DPP's focus on Hu's health, for example, remained an issue to the very end, with some citizens receiving text messages at about 4am yesterday that said Hu had been sent to the hospital at midnight and was in a critical condition.
Hu cast his vote yesterday morning at a polling station at a local high school and condemned the rumor.
"I am surprised to learn such news, and feel sorry that the climate of the elections is being ruined like this ... I will take legal action against those who spread the rumors," he said.
Police traced the message on the Internet, and identified at least two sources, one of which was in the Philippines.
Hu suffered a mild stroke two years ago while visiting the US.
Possibly as a result of this, his health came under scrutiny in the course of the campaign.
The health issue, along with other accusations, including allegations that he had added a 10-year period of study in the UK to his public service record for a pension application, failed to have a negative impact on Hu's campaign.
Lin resigned from his post as head of the Government Information Office (GIO) earlier this year to enter the race. However, his critics have accused him of being a carpetbagger. In addition, Lin's political experience and popularity lag far behind that of Hu, who previously served as both GIO director and minister of foreign affairs.
Having won a second term, Taichung's deteriorating public order, a problem that has haunted the city for some time, will remain the most important issue awaiting the mayor's attention over the next four years.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS