Chang Po-ya (
The former minister of the interior has been considering the Kaohsiung mayoral race since failing to receive enough votes on June 21 to be confirmed as Examination Yuan vice president.
But while many PFP members would like to see Chang take on incumbent DPP Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), the party says it hasn't scrapped plans to jointly nominate a candidate with the KMT.
"None of the four `pan-blue' camp aspirants vying for the nomination have close enough connections to or will be able to garner sufficient support from regional factions," Chiu Hei-yuan (
If Chang decides to enter the race, she'll face Hsieh -- who is seeking a second term -- and former DPP chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), who formally announced his independent candidacy on June 2.
Competing to represent the "pan-blue" camp are PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) and four KMT members: former Kaohsiung vice mayor Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英), former National Police Administration director-general Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) and Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Huang Chi-chuan (黃啟川).
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) in June agreed to cooperate in mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung; the PFP has already thrown its support behind Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT, who is running for re-election.
But fed up with the delay in picking a candidate for Kaohsiung, some legislators from the KMT and PFP have vowed to support their favorite unless the two parties make a decision soon.
If the "pan blue" camp fails to field a joint candidate and switches its support to Chang Po-ya, she stands a good chance of winning against Hsieh and Shih, analysts said.
"First of all, Shih will have little impact on the campaign, and Hsieh's performance over the past three years as city mayor has been bad," Chiu said. "In addition, Hsieh's doubling up as the party chairman over the past two years also did him more harm than good."
What's more, Hsieh doesn't enjoy close ties with regional factions, while Chang comes from a family that is politically influential in Chiayi County.
"Many political leaders in Kaohsiung City moved there from elsewhere, including Chiayi County, and developed a long-term friendship with her and her family," Chiu said. "In addition, she has extensive political experience and a deep affinity for Kaohsiung City."
The 60-year-old Chang has also served as governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government, mayor of Chiayi City, director-general of the Department of Health and as a lawmaker.
She also spent seven years studying at a medical college and taught at a university for more than 19 years.
But despite the apparent advantages, Chiu warned that Chang still faces a number of difficulties.
"Among them is that she has to turn around the perception that her decision to join the Kaohsiung mayoral race is a vindictive one," Chiu said.
Many believe Chang is considering the run to retaliate against the "pan-green" camp for failing to adequately support her nomination for Examination Yuan vice president.
"She doesn't want to give the public the impression that she's joining the race because she's angry with the DPP for not ensuring enough votes for her confirmation," Chang said.
Emile Sheng (
"But it's hard to turn things around since it seems clear that she hadn't planned to join the race at all before the showdown took place in the legislature," he said.
If the "pan-blue" camp does fail to field a joint candidate, it would be to the DPP's advantage.
"The DPP thrives on a split `pan blue' camp," said Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒), a political observer and editor in chief of Contemporary magazine. "With four contestants in the `pan-blue' camp each having their own group of supporters, conflict will be inevitable and will hamper cooperation if the uncertainty continues."
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS