Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is to hold his first official rally as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate on Sunday, his campaign office said yesterday.
The rally is to take place in New Taipei City’s Xingfu Shuiyang Park (幸福水漾公園), but New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and former mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) are not expected to attend because of scheduling conflicts, the office said.
“The rally will be the first held by Han’s campaign office,” said Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華), deputy chief executive of Han’s Taipei campaign office.
During the KMT presidential primary, Han staged five rallies organized by his supporters, with the last one on July 8 in Hsinchu, she said.
New Taipei City was chosen as the site for his first official rally, because it is his birthplace, she said, adding that the last rally is to be held in Kaohsiung.
The Sunday rally, which is to be held from 4pm to 9pm, will feature musical performances and speeches by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), she said.
Former Taipei County commissioners Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) and Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正), former New Taipei City deputy mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) and all KMT legislative candidates for the city are to attend the rally, she said.
The office also invited former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and is still waiting for her answer, she added.
Earlier yesterday, when asked about Han’s rally, Hou said his schedule is “very full” and he must prioritize municipal affairs.
As the mayor, his responsibilities to the city’s 4 million residents are far more urgent, he added.
Chu’s office on Wednesday said that the former KMT chairman would be visiting Japan on the day of the rally, adding that the trip had been arranged last month.
Asked if she is worried about the absence of Hou and Chu, Hsu said that she is more concerned about the turnout.
Han has been very nervous about the rally and asked her if it would attract many people, Hsu said in an interview with Pop Radio.
“Since we are organizing the rally, the mayor has put a lot of thought into it and hopes to see that his supporters have not left him,” she said.
“This event is of key importance to us,” she said, adding that her goal is to attract at least 200,000 people.
While recent public opinion polls showed Han losing support, surveys conducted by his team indicate that his support rate remained at about 30 percent, she said.
Han’s support rate did not decline, but President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) increased because of the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong, she said.
As not every survey is accurate, she has told Han’s supporters to stop paying attention to poll results, she added.
Additional reporting by Chou Hsiang-yi
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