Candidates for Kinmen County commissioner visited some of the area's isolated and sparsely populated islets yesterday to scour the area for votes.
New Party candidate Lee Chu-feng (
"I believe voters have been aware that no other candidate has a long-term devotion to the county like mine," Lee said.
Lee, who represents Kinmen in the legislature, has failed twice in his bid to win the commissioner's seat.
The New Party candidate's major rival is the DPP's Chen Zau-nan (
Chen's bid marks the first time the DPP has fielded a candidate for commissioner in a county dominated by the New Party.
Though the candidate has no family ties in Kinmen, he shares the same name as the Chen Clan Association, a powerful faction that is backing him in the race.
Another promising candidate is the People First Party's (PFP) Tsai Shih-min (
Through his position, Tsai has managed to build a strong rapport with Kinmen residents and is supported by the Tsai Clan Association.
PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) visited Kinmen on Nov. 26 to stump for Tsai, giving him a boost among undecided voters.
Kinmen County covers 150.5km2. The farthest area in the county is Wuchiu (烏坵) township, which sits on a small islet 133km from Kinmen's major island.
In Tainan County, political watchers say that pro-KMT factions have united for the first time to win a victory in the stronghold of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Political observers say the DPP's strength has been weakened by the participation of Wei Yao-chien (魏耀乾), a former party member, in the commissioner's race.
Wei may siphon away votes from DPP candidate Su Huan-chih (
Su's fight against Wei is expected to leave the candidate weaker against KMT competitor Wu Ching-chi (
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
To give Su a boost, first lady Wu Shu-chen (
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