Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son, yesterday won the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination to run for a council seat in Kaohsiung.
The DPP on Wednesday announced the results of three opinion polls conducted by telephone, which saw Chen Chih-chung topping the polls for the city’s 10th constituency, which consists of Cianjhen (前鎮) and Siaogang (小港) districts.
Chen Chih-chung garnered support from 24.38 percent of the respondents, followed by first-time candidate Hsu Nai-wen (許乃文) with 19.25 percent, and Kaohsiung city councilors Cheng Kuang-feng (鄭光峰), Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜), Lin Wang-jung (林宛蓉) and Wu Ming-tsu (吳銘賜) with 15.56 percent, 14.07 percent, 13.6 percent and 13.13 percent respectively.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The DPP would nominate the first five candidates to run in the constituency, which has eight seats.
The nominations are awaiting approval by the DPP Central Executive Commission.
Chen Chih-chung thanked supporters on Facebook, saying the DPP is seeking to secure a 50 percent majority in the city council in the nine-in-one elections scheduled for Nov. 24.
“[I] will be humble and hardworking and repay supporters with passion and action,” he said.
The controversial presence of Chen Shui-bian during his son’s campaign event on Saturday is believed to have boosted Chen Chih-chung’s support.
Chen Shui-bian, who served more than six years of a 20-year sentence for corruption and was released on medical parole in 2015, was permitted to attend the Saturday event on the condition that he would not make an appearance on stage.
The former president nevertheless went on stage and gave his son a hug in support of his bid.
Chen Shui-bian also wrote a note asking voters to support his son ahead of the polling on Wednesday.
In 2010, Chen Chih-chung withdrew from the DPP and won a councilor seat as an independent candidate, but he was disqualified the following year after he was convicted of perjury in the corruption cases of Chen Shui-bian.
In 2012, Chen Chih-chung joined the legislative elections as an independent, but lost to his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and DPP rivals.
He rejoined the DPP in 2013 and announced his bid for a councilor seat in Kaohsiung last year.
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