The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) aims to double its number of administrative positions in the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections, party sources said.
The KMT is optimistic about retaining the New Taipei City mayor’s post, as well as the county commissioner jobs in Miaoli, Nantou, Taitung and Lienchiang counties, a party member responsible for election campaigning said.
Of the six special municipalities and counties that it now governs, Hsinchu County is the only one that is unpredictable, the member said.
While the KMT cannot afford to lose any of those areas, it is also hoping to double its number of local government heads to 12, party sources said.
The would allow it to control more than half of the nation’s cities and counties and help pave the way for victory in the 2020 presidential election, they said.
The KMT is hopeful that it will regain control of Taipei and Chiayi City, in addition to Changhua and Hualien counties, sources said, adding that Hsinchu would be more challenging, but possible.
As for Penghu, the party is expecting solid support from the county’s public-school teachers, civil servants and military personnel, who account for a high percentage of the population, sources said.
While Yilan County might be a long-term stronghold for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the KMT has faith in its candidate for county commissioner, Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙), who has developed strong grassroots support, the party said.
Of the six special municipalities, the party is prioritizing Taichung, sources said.
Popular KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) last week joined a campaign trip for KMT Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), who is standing for mayor in that city, KMT sources said, adding that the party plans to channel more resources into the race.
As for Taipei, party statistics showed that 35 percent of the city’s residents support the KMT, while a quarter support the DPP, sources said.
While the situation is complicated by independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) re-election bid, the KMT challenger, former legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), has a good chance of beating Ko.
Voters in the nine-in-one elections are to choose mayors and councilors in the six special municipalities and other cities, Aboriginal district representatives and councilors, county commissioners and councilors, township mayors and councilors, and borough and village wardens.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS