President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as the chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), yesterday made final appeals on behalf of his parties’ candidates on the eve of today’s elections.
Ma spent his day making his way from the country’s south to the north, ending up in Taipei.
At stake are mayorships or county commissioner positions in all 22 of the nation’s cities and counties.
Photo: CNA
The KMT currently controls 15 of those administrative districts, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds six and one is led by an independent.
However, dissatisfaction with the Ma administration has put two places especially at risk — the capital, Taipei, which has been in KMT hands since late 1998, and the central city of Taichung, which KMT incumbent Jason Hu (胡志強) has led since late 2001.
Ma started his final day of campaigning in Pingtung County at a rally for the KMT’s county commissioner candidate, Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎).
Ma then traveled to Kaohsiung and Tainan to accompany mayoral candidates Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) and Huang Hsiu-shuang (黃秀霜) in canvassing for votes.
It was the fourth time in a week that Ma visited Tainan to solicit support for Huang in a city that has been in DPP hands since late 1993 and is considered rock-solid green, the color associated with the DPP.
Ma then traveled straight to Keelung to campaign for KMT candidate Hsieh Li-kung (謝立功), before heading to Taoyuan to lend support to incumbent Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚).
Ma wrapped up the evening by attending campaign rallies in Taichung, New Taipei City and Taipei, urging voters to back the KMT and its support for liberalizing the nation, rather than a party that leans toward closing the nation’s doors — apparently referring to the DPP.
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