The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT’s) nominee for a by-election in Taichung’s second electoral district yesterday registered his candidacy with the Central Election Commission.
Former KMT legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) confirmed his intent to run in the by-election on Jan. 9 to fill the seat left vacant after the Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) was recalled on Oct. 23.
Yen previously held the seat after winning a 2013 by-election to replace his father, former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), who was sentenced to prison in November 2012 for graft.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Yen Kuan-heng won a second term in 2016, but last year lost to Chen.
He arrived at the commission’s Taichung office to register with only one office assistant present.
“I don’t want to trouble many people... This is a battle for the local communities. I am facing the ruling party which has a large army, but all my support is from the local residents,” he said.
Photo: CNA
Two others also registered yesterday for the by-election: Lee Kun-han (李昇翰), who has no party affiliation, and former Formosa Alliance member Chang Chiun-chun (張?春), who said he represents the “Taiwan Stockmarket Investors’ Party.”
Separately, Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for the by-election, told a news conference in Taichung that she had asked the judiciary to crack down on vote-buying and other illegal activities rumored to occur in the district.
Taichung Bar Association chairman Wu Tzu-sheng (吳梓生), who was leading a group of lawyers at the event, said that “this team is here to instill courage and confidence in voters, and for those willing to report such activities, we are here to provide them with legal support.”
Additional reporting by CNA
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