The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday unveiled its schedule for a large-scale joint campaign event in Taichung tomorrow, bringing together the party’s mayoral and commissioner candidates for the six special municipalities and three central counties in a show of unity.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) told a news conference in Taipei that the event is designed to demonstrate solidarity among its candidates within and across regions.
The event is to start at 7pm with a speech by KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), the nation’s longest-serving legislative speaker, and former KMT legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) at the Taiping District Sports Ground on Zhongxing E Road.
Photo: CNA
The event would be divided into three parts, with the first featuring Changhua county commissioner candidate Wang Hui-mei (王惠美), Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱), who is seeking re-election, and Yunlin county commissioner candidate Chang Li-shan (張麗善), Hung said.
In the second part, the party’s mayoral candidates for the six special municipalities — Ting Shou-chung (丁守中, Taipei), Hou You-yi (侯友宜, New Taipei City), Apollo Chen (陳學聖, Taoyuan), Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕, Taichung), Kao Su-po (高思博, Tainan) and Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜, Kaohsiung) — would speak, Hung said.
Finally, KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) are to join the nine candidates on stage to show the party’s determination to stand united and conquer central Taiwan, Hung said.
Asked why the KMT chose Taichung for the event, Hung said that three of the four municipalities in central Taiwan are governed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but opinion polls showed that the KMT candidates would run neck-and-neck against their DPP opponents.
“If the KMT could win in Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin, that would be a victory for the party,” Hung said, adding that central Taiwan would be the party’s main focus in the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
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