Senior politicians from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) attended the last rallies of the campaign in Taichung yesterday ahead of today’s election.
DPP heavyweights, including former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and others, showed up at DPP Greater Taichung mayoral candidate Su Jia-chyuan’s (蘇嘉全) campaign rally in Wensin Park in the evening, where more than 10,000 people gathered to show their support for Su.
The need for change and criticism of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu’s (胡志強) performance were the main focuses of the rally.
Hu, of the KMT, held his last campaign rally at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, but the event ended ahead of schedule following the shooting of Sean Lien (連勝文) during a campaign event in Taipei County. Prayers for Lien were then held.
On site to encourage support for KMT candidates, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) shared the stage with Hu, Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻), Taichung County Commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (黃仲生), Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) and Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿).
Eighty-one-year-old film maestro Lee Hsing (李行) and dozens of personalities from the cultural and artistic communities were also on stage to campaign for Hu.
Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), who doubles as KMT vice chairperson, and Hu raised star-shaped blooms into the air to represent Greater Taichung’s transformation into a world-class city.
Earlier in the day, Su’s motorcade paraded through Taichung City and in the afternoon he walked around Fongyuan Township (豐原), saying he wanted to be close to voters.
“I have visited every township in Taichung County and every district in Taichung City at least twice during my campaign and I was very popular during the visits, so I am very confident of winning the election,” Su said.
Hu, meanwhile, held a press conference with his wife Shaw Hsiao-ling (邵曉鈴), a survivor of two separate procedures in which doctors removed her ruptured spleen and amputated her left forearm after she was injured in a car accident.
In a move seen by critics as playing the “affection card,” Shaw said she hoped to join a parade with Hu later in the day, adding: “I want to help my husband. I want to cheer for him.”
However, Hu said it would be too energy consuming and dangerous for his wife to take part in the event with him.
Hu’s parade included stops in Taichung County’s Wufong (霧峰), Dali (大里) and Taiping (太平) townships, and a stop in Fongyuan in the afternoon.
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