Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung Chapter director Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is to represent the party in the Kaohsiung mayoral election on Nov. 24, after winning the party’s primary yesterday.
KMT Organizational Development Committee director Lee Che-hua (李哲華) yesterday announced the primary result at KMT headquarters in Taipei, after two polling firms conducted three surveys from Friday to Sunday to gauge support for Han and KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民) among Kaohsiung voters.
Lee declared Han as the winner in the primary polls, but did not disclose the actual support ratings measured by the poll.
However, a KMT member with knowledge of the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Han had garnered an average support rating of 64.8 percent, against Chen’s 35.1 percent.
The KMT is to officially nominate Han as its Kaohsiung mayoral candidate at a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee tomorrow.
Han, now 60, served three terms as a lawmaker from 1993 to 2002. After a failed bid to run for KMT chairman in May last year, he was elected director of the party’s Kaohsiung chapter in August last year.
Han is set to compete against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), a five-term lawmaker, in a traditionally pan-green city that has been governed by DPP mayors since 1998.
Speaking at a news conference at KMT headquarters following the announcement, Han said that his plan is to fight poverty in Kaohsiung and boost the city’s economic development.
“Although the DPP has contributed its share to the nation’s democracy, the people of Kaohsiung do not owe the DPP anything for turning Kaohsiung into a poor and old city over its 20 years of administration,” Han said.
According to statistics from the National Treasury Administration, Kaohsiung is the most indebted administrative area in Taiwan, having accumulated NT$248 billion (US$8.2 billion) in debt as of fiscal year 2017, followed by Taipei, with a debt of NT$191 billion, and New Taipei City, with a debt of NT$135 billion.
Urging Chen to ensure a clean election, Han said he aspired to leave the political clamor to Taipei and transform Kaohsiung into Taiwan’s economic center, free from political ideologies.
In response, Chen, who received the DPP’s nomination in March, said he looked forward to engaging in a gentlemen’s fight with Han.
Additional reporting by CNA
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
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their