Wecare Kaohsiung and other groups are pressing ahead with their efforts to recall Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), despite his loss in the presidential election and Han’s pledge on Wednesday to work hard for the city’s residents.
Wecare Kaohsiung said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that it would not cease campaign to recall the mayor in the wake of Saturday last week’s elections.
Although Han on Monday returned to work in Kaohsiung and apologized to the city’s residents, it was merely for not “having been around” and not for his lies, discriminatory remarks and breaching the public’s trust, Wecare Kaohsiung said.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
“What Kaohsiung needs is a responsible mayor and a hardworking government team, not your mere presence,” it said.
More than half the city’s residents are in favor of recalling Han, the groups said, citing a survey released by news network TVBS earlier in the day.
A total of 1,030 residents were interviewed on Monday and Tuesday and 53 percent said they support the campaign to recall Han, while 32 percent said they do not.
Several civil groups last month submitted 30,000 petition papers to the Central Election Commission in a bid to launch a recall vote on Han.
For the vote to be held, they must collect at least 228,134 petition papers to clear the second-stage threshold.
If they succeed, a recall vote could be held in May or June.
Han on Wednesday wrote on Facebook that “I will remain in Kaohsiung to be with all of you.”
After the Lunar New Year holiday, he would find time to visit supporters to thank them for backing him, he added.
Asked about the recall campaign, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who ran against Han in the 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral election, said that Han had made his decision when he chose to run for president just months into his term.
Now that Han has returned to Kaohsiung, the recall campaign is something he must face, Chen said.
When Han was away on a three-month leave for his presidential campaign, many important city affairs could not be completed, Chen said.
“That was very unfair for the city’s residents,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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