Local election campaigns yesterday swung into high gear as political heavyweights stumped for candidates with motorcades, parades and rallies on “Super Sunday,” six days before Saturday’s elections.
After stumping in Taichung on Saturday for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung mayoral candidate Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Nantou County commissioner candidate Tsai Pei-hui (蔡培慧), President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) participated in a parade in Taipei yesterday afternoon and a rally in Taoyuan last night.
Tsai, who is also the DPP chairperson, called on voters to support DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) in the “Cherish Taiwan, Walk for Love” parade.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Before setting out from his campaign headquarters on Beiping E Road, Chen said the parade was meant to bring residents together “with love and tolerance” in a march to Taipei City Hall.
The parade was led by a fleet of motorcycles, followed by large helium balloons that formed the image of a three-headed dragon, made by the Paper Windmill Theatre troupe. Six large groups of DPP supporters, companies and associations also marched.
Chen and several of his campaign officers walked together throughout the parade, and were greeted by supporters waving flags and holding signs. It reached the Taipei City Hall Plaza at about 4:30pm, where singers and bands performed.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
An organizer said that about 150,000 people attended the parade, with about 50,000 at the plaza event, and 17,000 watching online.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and his wife yesterday campaigned at city markets.
At the Jianguo Weekend Flower Market (建國花市), Chiang posed for photographs and held hands with supporters. One supporter handed him a pot of bamboo with a sign that read: “Smash into the enemy territory like splitting bamboo, and climb up step by step.”
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) also canvassed for votes at traditional markets, where she handed out name cards.
Yesterday evening, she held a large event in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義).
“If you do not want to a return to conflict between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, ‘black gold’ corruption, inept governance or crony bureaucracy, and if you believe in a future with fairness and justice, please come” to the event, she wrote on Facebook earlier in the day.
Photo: Wei Chin-yun, Taipei Times
“No political party should override your will, so stand up and support Vivian Huang,” she added.
The KMT held a major gathering in Taoyaun on Saturday to rally support for its candidates in Taoyuan, Taipei, Hsinchu and Keelung.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday visited Penghu and Pingtung counties to support party candidates, sharing a stage with former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and KMT Taoyuan mayoral candidate Simon Chang (張善政) at an afternoon rally in Kaohsiung for mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩).
Chu later attended a rally in New Taipei City in the evening.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also had a packed weekend supporting his Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidates.
Ko, who is chairman of the TPP, rode in a motorcade through Hsinchu City on Saturday morning, calling for support for mayoral candidate Ann Kao (高虹安) and attended an evening rally in Hsinchu for Kao and 11 other candidates city councilor candidates.
Ko yesterday participated in a number of campaign events in Taichung before joining Huang at her rally in Taipei last night.
Voters in 22 cities and counties are to cast ballots on Saturday for mayors, county commissioners, councilors, and other local officials.
The DPP hopes to improve on its performance in 2018, when it secured only six mayoral and county commissioner seats, while losing seven others to the KMT.
The KMT aims to add more cities and counties to the 14 it controls, while the TPP stepped up campaigning for two of its mayoral candidates.
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