The son of former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday announced his decision to step in for his sister and run for a legislative seat in Yunlin County’s first district.
Chang Jung-chi (張鎔麒), 28, with his sister, KMT legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡), standing beside him, made the announcement in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning.
On Aug. 10, Chang Chia-chun dropped her re-election bid for the legislative elections in January next year.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“I have been dogged by questions about my re-election bid for months... After a recent development, both my brother and I became interested in running for a legislative seat. However, we later decided that he should be the on to seize the opportunity following several lengthy discussions,” Chang Chia-chun said.
However, Chang Chia-chun refused to answer questions over whether the “development” referred to KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) replacement of Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as the party’s presidential candidate, or the result of negotiations by her father’s close associate, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
“The decision was made after thorough consideration,” Chang Chia-chun said, adding: “We said nothing about the discussions, because we did not want to hurt anyone.”
Chang Chia-chun’s remarks have renewed speculation that her withdrawal from the upcoming election was prompted by the KMT’s July 19 nomination of Hung, whose dismal support ratings were said to have jeopardized the campaign momentum of the party’s legislative candidates.
The alleged support of Chang Jung-wei — who enjoys strong local ties — for People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) was also rumored to be behind his daughter’s decision to drop out of the race.
The holder of a master’s degree in politics from Britain’s University of Bristol, Chang Jung-chi said he knew it would be a tough fight, as the political tide has turned against the pan-blue camp and he is launching his campaign with only a few months to go before the elections.
“However, my experience as a soccer player has made me open to challenges and less worried about losing. I will adopt the same mindset when campaigning,” Chang Jung-chi said.
Chang Jung-chi said that he knew his chance of beating former Yunlin County commissioner Su Chi-feng (蘇治芬) of the Democratic Progressive Party was relatively slim, but he would give it his best shot.
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