Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) yesterday celebrated a landslide victory against five competitors in the party’s primary opinion polls for Tainan for the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
The DPP announced the combined results of three opinion polls conducted by telephone on Wednesday, which showed Huang crushing his rivals, DPP legislators Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃), Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) and Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), as well as former Tainan deputy mayor Yen Chun-tso (顏純左) and former DPP legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅).
Huang received support from 41.58 percent of respondents, easily outrunning Chen’s 28.17 percent, followed by Yen’s 6.72 percent, Wang’s 5.13 percent, Lee’s 2.11 percent and Yeh’s 0.76 percent.
Photo: Wan Yu-chen, Taipei Times
Huang thanked supporters while calling for party unity given the rhetoric-laden mudslinging competition that developed between candidates.
“I feel surprise and the weight of responsibility,” Huang said. “My original principle remains unchanged. It is a competition between party members, not infighting.”
He said he would seek support from his rivals after the DPP approves the nomination and urged other candidates to look past their feuds and pledge their support to him to secure the city for the party.
During the campaign, candidates hurled accusations against each other on an almost daily basis, forcing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who doubles as the party’s chairperson, to announce a prohibition on slander and mudslinging.
Some candidates were criticized for aligning with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians with a history of corruption or involvement with organized crime, while others were accused of drawing funds from China.
Also thanking her supporters, Chen said that she was a major target of slander during the competition, but her reputation survived unscathed.
However, her decision to refrain from criticizing her competitors might have been wrong, Chen said.
Asked whether she would help Huang campaign for mayor, Chen said she would not rule out the possibility, but Huang would first need to bridge the rift between the candidates.
Chen would not withdraw a lawsuit she filed against Huang’s campaign office director for implicating her in a business fraud case, she said.
Yen and Wang congratulated Huang and called for party solidarity ahead of the elections.
Media reports of Huang’s polling victory came out before the DPP officially announced the results, sparking speculation that the party leaked the information.
The DPP denied the allegations, saying the selection process had been fair.
The DPP is scheduled to officially nominate Huang as the party’s Tainan mayoral candidate, DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) as its Kaohsiung mayoral candidate and former deputy minister of agriculture Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) as Chiayi County commissioner candidate on Wednesday.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS