Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members are calling for KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to “lead the charge” by joining a possible mayoral by-election amid a bleak outlook for Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) in a recall vote scheduled for June 6, party sources said on Saturday.
If Han of the KMT is recalled — which would trigger a mayoral by-election — it would deal a serious blow to the party, in which case a strong mayoral candidate would be needed to shield the party from further damage, a KMT legislator said on condition of anonymity.
If the party’s candidate in a mayoral by-election cannot win 890,000 votes as Han did in the 2018 local elections at the height of his popularity, they would need to win at least the 600,000 votes that Han garnered in the city when he ran as the KMT’s presidential candidate in the Jan. 11 elections, the lawmaker said.
Screen grab from Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s Facebook page
If Chiang throws his hat in the ring, he would be helping the party through its darkest hour a second time, which would resolve the Han issue and boost morale within the party, as well as his own popularity, they said.
If Chiang joins the race, he would be KMT members’ No. 1 candidate for next year’s KMT chairperson election, they added.
Calls for ex-KMT chairman and former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) to run in a possible mayoral by-election are also intensifying at the grassroots level, another party source said.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
Chiang and Chu are the top choice of many party members, because either of them could run for KMT chairman next year, while analysts have said that Han could also vie for the position, the source said.
During the presidential election, Han was criticized by the opposing camp as “pro-China, crass and disorganized,” leaving many KMT mayors and commissioners fearing for themselves while stumping for him, the source said.
“They do not want to have to go through it all again,” they added.
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuang (李四川) would be a “safer bet,” said another KMT legislator, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Lee is from southern Taiwan and familiar with the city’s municipal affairs, the lawmaker said.
Kaohsiung residents do not have too big of an issue with Lee, as they “just dislike Han,” the lawmaker said, adding that Lee is deemed “less political,” which could boost the KMT’s electoral prospects, as Kaohsiung residents have likely grown tired of the politics surrounding Han.
Han won the mayoral election as a dark horse, only to lose the public’s trust, so Kaohsiung residents are unlikely to vote for another novelty candidate fielded by the KMT, party sources said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS