Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) yesterday said he would join the KMT’s primary for next year’s Taipei mayoral election for the fifth time, pledging to make Taipei a proud city again.
Ting, a 63-year-old KMT member who had served seven terms as a legislator since 1990, made the announcement on Facebook, saying he would hold an online candidacy presentation today to deliver to Taipei residents his political ideas and vision for the capital.
Over the past four years, Taipei’s development has stalled to an extent that the global competitiveness of the nation and its capital have been undermined, Ting said.
“We cannot afford to wait another four years,” he said, expressing confidence in his ability to unite the residents of Taipei to return the city to its former glory.
In a depature from the traditional electoral culture, with its emphasis on crowd mobilization, his candidacy representation will only be available online via live streaming to allow his supporters to “share this valuable moment simultaneously.”
Vowing to persevere until he wins the Taipei mayoral seat, Ting said he hoped next year’s local elections would be a competition about experiences, policies and ideas.
With a doctorate in international politics, Ting has tried in vain to secure the KMT’s nomination for the Taipei mayoral seat four times in the past, losing to former Taipei mayor Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲) in 1994, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in 1998, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) in 2006 and KMT Central Committee member Sean Lien (連勝文) in 2014.
Despite his unwavering determination, Ting’s road to win the KMT’s nomination might still be bumpy.
There have been reports that the party is eyeing KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), the 38-year-old grandson of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), as its Taipei mayoral candidate, due to his relatively young age, good looks and prominent family background.
Asked about Ting’s decision, KMT spokesman Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said the party respects any individual member’s decision to announce their candidacy, but it would not necessarily hold primaries for the mayoral seats of the six special municipalities.
“Being able to win the elections is our ultimate goal and our nomination of candidates will revolve around that goal,” Hung said, adding that the nomination process for the Taipei mayoral post is still ongoing and the party would continue to solicit opinions from different sectors of society.
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