The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) could be behind what appears to be a deliberate attempt to sabotage a campaign by a KMT candidate in the Hualien mayoral by-election.
Speaking at a news conference at KMT headquarters in Taipei, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Tang Te-ming (唐德明) said a “bizarre and bewildering” incident in Hualien on Saturday has been brought to the attention of the party’s leadership.
“Two people visited KMT Hualien mayoral candidate Wei Chia-hsien’s (魏嘉賢) campaign headquarters, office, residence, the party’s Hualien branch office and a local borough warden’s house on Saturday morning,” Tang said.
Tang said the pair initially claimed to be related to KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), before changing their story, saying that they worked for the party’s New Taipei City branch.
They asked for Wei’s campaign materials and vests, Tang said.
The pair later attended a campaign event where they were shouting and scolding campaign staff, Tang said.
“Their behavior was unlike that of an ordinary KMT supporter or campaign volunteer. It is evident that they have knowledge about Wei’s campaign plans in the county,” Tang said.
Tang said that the party has only retrieved two of the five campaign vests the two took, and it is possible the two have made plans to impede Wei’s chances of winning the by-election on Saturday, such as wearing the vests while vote-buying or getting into physical altercations with voters.
“The by-election vote happens to coincide with the 100-day anniversary of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration, so DPP staff are most likely under immense pressure to ensure the victory of the party’s candidate and could resort to despicable tactics,” Tang said.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director Chow Chi-wai (周志偉) said any election-related incidents should be handled with a high-level investigation, rather than by the local police precinct.
“Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) assured voters of a clean election when he visited Hualien last month. In light of this bizarre incident, we urge Chiu to investigate the matter and reveal the findings to the public,” Chow said.
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