The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華) yesterday demolished Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Chen Ding-nan's (陳定南) house of dreams yesterday, winning by a 10,000 vote margin in the race for Ilan County commissioner.
"I appreciate the people of Ilan giving me a chance to serve them in the Ilan County Government," Lu said after he declared victory last night.
"I am only an ordinary Ilan native but this county needs some changes. I can make that happen," Lu said.
IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
At the same time, Chen admitted defeat and congratulated his opponent on TV. He said that he accepted the result of the election, which indicated that there was room for him to improve.
"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaigned for me four times" he said. "Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun even stayed with me for the last 10 days."
"I really appreciate their help and I would like to apologize both to them and to my supporters," he said.
CLOSE CALL
Lu received 121,463 votes to Chen's 112,853 votes.
Lu and Chen's race was a close one, because the difference between the two men yesterday was never more than 10,000 votes.
Nevertheless, Lu declared victory at around 6:40pm while the ballots were still being counted.
Chen decided to resign as minister of justice last January and return to his hometown to run in the election.
His KMT challenger, how-ever, gradually garnered more support, largely due to his record and popularity as mayor of Ilan City. Lu, who began his career as a social worker, has won recognition for his long-time devotion to Ilan.
To assist Chen's campaign, Yu and former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) traveled to Ilan to stump for him for the final 10 days of the campaign.
Among Ilan County's 12 constituencies, Tungshan Township (冬山鄉) was regarded as the most important for Chen, because it is Yu's hometown. Chen defeated Lu there by a margin of 5,000 votes.
However, in Ilan City, where Lu is the mayor, Lu received 7,000 more votes than Chen.
HISTORY NO HELP
Twenty-four years ago, Chen ran for the commissioner's post in the same constituency and paved the way for long-term DPP control of the county after the party was formed in 1986.
Chen's self-discipline and exacting personality earned him considerable credibility and exposure, and this helped him in a successful run for the legislature a few years later.
In one of the more unusual moments during yesterday's polling -- and one captured by a a slew of photographers -- Chen Ding-nan's niece showed up to vote in a white wedding gown before going to her engagement party.
At his campaign headquarters last night, many supporters had tears in their eyes, while some vented their anger by slamming chairs on the ground.
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