Four years ago, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) lost to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) by around 25,000 votes.
Staging a comeback, Huang's perceived lack of charisma has made both campaigns difficult struggles, however.
"Who is Huang Chun-ying?" is a question many Kaohsiung residents ask.
"With his honest and moderate personality, Huang has few enemies in the party, which has united to support his campaign," Huang camp spokesman Apollo Chen (
Chen said that Huang believed Kaohsiung residents recognize that they need a mayor who is good at coordination, not rhetoric.
Huang is not a career politician having spent most of his career in the educational field.
According to polls conducted by local media, Huang has been leading the poll, but his lead has narrowed with the approach of election day.
Campaigning on economic recovery and improving the life of Kaohsiung residents, Huang said the DPP city government has turned Kaohsiung, once a prosperous city, into one suffering economic recession and high unemployment.
Since the DPP government has blocked most cross-strait exchanges, Kaohsiung harbor and Kaohsiung International Airport have declined in recent years, with city residents losing out on job opportunities, he said.
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