Kaohsiung residents in a recall vote yesterday overwhelmingly voted to remove Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) from office.
The result made Han the nation’s first special municipality head to be recalled, just a year-and-a-half after he won a surprise victory over a candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which had run the city for two decades.
The vote was 939,090 in favor of recall and 25,051 against, with a 42.14 percent voter turnout, Kaohsiung City Election Commission data showed.
Photo: CNA
There are 2,299,981 eligible voters in the city, the data showed.
At least 25 percent of eligible voters — or 574,996 people — had to vote in favor of a recall and the number of people voting for it must exceed the number of those voting against for the recall motion to pass, according to Article 90 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
The 939,090 votes in favor of the recall was more than Han had garnered in November 2018’s mayoral election, when he won the four-candidate race with 892,545 votes, or 53.86 percent, in a traditional DPP stronghold.
Photo: CNA
The recall petition against Han began in June last year, after Han announced a presidential bid less than six months into his mayoral term.
The civic organizations that initiated the petition said that Han launching a presidential bid so soon after being elected mayor angered many Kaohsiung residents, who thought he was not prioritizing the city’s governance.
The recall campaign had strong backing from DPP politicians.
Photo: CNA
After the vote results yesterday, Han led city government officials in a news conference and took a bow thanking Kaohsiung residents for electing him in 2018.
He also expressed his gratitude to city government officials who worked with him.
However, he said he was sorry to see the DPP focusing all its attention on “endless slander” against him since the party won the presidential election in January.
Photo: Hsu Lee-chuan, Taipei Times
The mudslinging has hurt the city government, as the hard work of its officials has been reduced to nothing, Han said.
Noting that agricultural produce exports have increased and the city government’s disease prevention efforts topped the nation, he said it is regrettable he could no longer lead his administrative team to serve the city and keep his promises to build new roads, attract investments and take care of disadvantaged people.
“I hope future mayors will lead Kaohsiung toward prosperity, and I hope Kaohsiung will become a great, bright and wealthy city, “ he said.
Some Han supporters broke into tears upon learning that the recall vote had passed. Some called on him to run for KMT chairman and again for Kaohsiung mayor in 2024, while others said Han’s recall was the city’s loss.
Supporters of the Wecare Kaohsiung coalition, which organized the recall campaign, were ecstatic, chanting: “I [am a] Kaohsiung [resident], I [am] proud.”
Lead petition organizer Chen Kuan-jung (陳冠榮) called on Kaohsiung residents to put aside their differences and help heal the rift that has plagued the city since 2018.
“New life has come, the people of Kaohsiung, clap for yourselves,” Wecare spokesperson Lee Yi-chieh (李佾潔) said.
The time of conflict, hate and lies has come to an end, and the residents of Kaohsiung should, together, embark on a journey toward true freedom, Lee added.
“We have succeeded and we are aware of the imperfections of the law, but that is what we can work toward, to make the power of the people greater,” Lee said.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party member Chang Po-yang (張博洋) said that the people of Kaohsiung can only rejoice for one night, because tomorrow they have to start working to mend the schism between city residents.
Chang also called on recall supporters not to blame those who disagreed with the movement, as they have different ideas, but love Kaohsiung nonetheless.
Additional reporting by Huang Hsu-lei and Fang Chih-hsien
NO CONSENSUS YET: Local governments and the CECC have agreed to change the ‘3+4’ self-isolation policy, but are still mulling what to replace it with The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and local governments have agreed to ease restrictions on close contacts of COVID-19 cases, although the details are still being discussed, the center said yesterday. The discussions follow Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Saturday approving a proposal to shorten the “3+4” policy — three days of home isolation followed by four days of self-disease prevention — for close contacts who have received booster doses. “We did not reach a consensus on how to revise the current restrictions, but we all agreed that the administrative burden must be reduced and the intensity of restrictions must be eased,
OPPOSING CHINESE ‘HOSTILITY’: The bill orders the state secretary to create a plan to regain observer status for Taiwan, saying Taipei is a model contributor to world health US President Joe Biden on Friday signed a bill into law to help Taiwan regain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA), demonstrating Washington’s support for Taiwan’s international participation. Friday was the deadline for Biden to sign the bill (S.812), which directs “the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization (WHO), and for other purposes.” The 75th WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, is scheduled to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday next week to May 28. The bill, introduced by US Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the US Senate
‘DAMOCLES SWORD’: An Italian missionary said the arrest of cardinal Zen is a blow for the church in Hong Kong, China and the world, signaling great danger ahead China yesterday defended the arrest of a 90-year-old Catholic cardinal under Hong Kong’s National Security Law, a move that triggered international outrage and deepened concerns over Beijing’s crackdown on freedoms in the territory. Retired cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君), one of the most senior Catholic clerics in Asia, was among a group of veteran democracy advocates arrested on Wednesday for “colluding with foreign forces.” Pop singer Denise Ho (何韻詩), veteran barrister Margaret Ng (吳靄儀) and cultural studies academic Hui Po-keung (許寶強) were also arrested, the latter as he attempted to fly to Europe to take up an academic post. Cyd Ho (何秀蘭), a democracy
REACHING OUT: President Tsai expressed condolences to the deceased man’s family and wished a speedy recovery to those who were wounded in the shooting The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) on Monday called on the US to label organizations associated with the suspect in the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting as domestic terrorists, following accusations that he was a member of a group backing unification with ties to the Chinese government. David Wenwei Chou (周文偉), 68, was arrested on Sunday and is being held in lieu of US$1 million bail at the Orange County Intake Release Center over a mass shooting at the California church that left one dead and five wounded. Local police suspect the shooting was politically motivated after they found notes in
RSS