Candidates vying to represent Kaohsiung in the nation's legislature are banking on grass-roots support and their history of service to the public to win office.
"All politics is local," as the popular saying goes.
Nowhere is that more true than in Kaohsiung.
"My family tree is deeply rooted in the city," said KMT hopeful Chiang Yi-wen (
Like Chiang, the KMT's Yao Kao-chiao (
"Having headed the city's police department for five years, I have helped improve the city's security and many locals have thanked me for my efforts," Yao said.
But political watchers say Yao may face challenges and opposition, as much of Kaohsiung's sex industry is located in his constituency.
In addition, the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) Lo Chi-ming (
The KMT's Tseng Chang-fa (
Compared to the KMT, the DPP has less trouble emphasizing its grass-roots appeal -- making elections in Kaohsiung an easy race for DPP candidates.
Take for example Chu Hsin-yu (
"There are just some `strange' types of groups who will vote for him. That's good enough to get him elected though his poll figures are always low," a DPP official said.
And even though DPP contender Kuo Wen-cheng (郭玟成) has refused to talk to the media, he still enjoys support from voters.
Serving your constituency rather than basking in the public limelight is the most effective way to secure votes, the DPP official said.
One likely winner in Kaohsiung is up-and-coming DPP politician Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), the son of Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), the deputy secretary-general to the president.
Political observers say Chen, who won 98,553 votes three years ago, might be able to help other DPP candidates get elected.
Liao Da-chi (
Liao estimates that roughly 40,000 votes are enough to get elected this year.
Newcomer and doctor Lin Chin-hsin (林進興), who will be running on a DPP ticket, faces a tough battle but believes his record of providing free medical services to the poor will help him win votes.
Of Kaohsiung's 36 candidates, the New Party's Hsieh Chi-ta (謝啟大) and People First Party's Chiu Yi (邱毅) are the two that lack local connections.
"To the advantage of both, they are famous nationally," said Wang Chi-tsong (王啟聰), director of the PFP's Kaohsiung headquarters.
Wang said he hoped campaign rallies featuring Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will help drum up support for the PFP.
Soong garnered 300 million votes in the city during last year's presidential election.
The party's campaign message is that a vote for a PFP candidate is a vote for Soong.
The PFP's campaign slogan is "Giving Soong a hand again."
Election prospects for the 16 independent candidates running in Kaohsiung are expected to be slim.
During the last legislative election, 81,083 votes came from non-partisan supporters, who mostly voted for Lin Hong-tsung.
Lin has now joined ranks with the KMT, and observers say that he is likely to siphon off votes from independent candidates.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS