The “Han wave,” or the wave of support for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is being hyped by certain media outlets and Internet platforms, and should eventually pass, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday.
Support for Han’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival, Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), has been rising, said Chen Chu, who served as Kaohsiung mayor for 12 years before resigning in April to join President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration.
What voters want is a candidate with knowledge about running a city and their plans for the future, she said as she campaigned for Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and DPP city councilor candidates in Taichung’s Shengang District (神岡), the city’s fifth electoral district.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Kaohsiung’s residents are likely to approve of a candidate who understands Kaohsiung the way Chen Chi-mai does, she said.
Kaohsiung has long been the most important base in the nation for Taiwan’s democracy movement and she has faith in it, she said
As for Lin, who is seeking re-election, Chen Chu said she hoped that Taichung residents would recognize his hard work, professionalism and achievements as mayor.
Asked by reporters whether the decision by Lin’s main rival, KMT Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), on Tuesday to resign her legislative seat would affect the race, Chen Chu said resignations have been used before as a campaign tactic.
While she respects Lu’s decision, it would have a limited effect on the election, she added.
Lin said he appreciated Chen Chu’s support and endorsement as she gives people a sense of warmth and reliability.
Taichung is improving, and many of the changes that are being made in the city can already be seen, he said.
There has been a lot of negative campaigning in this year’s elections, including personal attacks on Chen Chu and smear campaigns, he said.
He sympathizes with those who have been the target of negative campaigns, and looks forward to society having more positive energy, he added.
Lu, who said her resignation was a way to demonstrate her determination to win, was the fourth lawmaker to resign to focus on the elections, following the DPP’s Pasuya Yau (姚文智), who is running for Taipei mayor; Chang Li-shan (張麗善), the KMT’s candidate for Yunlin County commissioner, and Chen Chi-mai.
Calling the Taichung election a must-win race, Lu said she has promised to free the city from air pollution, low wages and economic stagnation if elected.
“It is a very big responsibility. I must win,” she said.
Although the posts from which Chang and Chen Chi-mai resigned were legislator-at-large seats, which can be filled by their respective parties, the seats vacated by Yao and Lu must be filled through by-elections, as there is more than a year before their terms are due to expire on Jan. 31, 2020.
According to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), legislative by-elections must be held within three months of a lawmaker resigning.
Chen Chu also visited Yilan County yesterday to stump for the DPP’s candidates for commissioner and county council.
Additional reporting by CNA
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