Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) last night was granted a second term by voters as she held off a challenge by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌).
Lu’s victory adds to the KMT’s successes in central Taiwan regions, especially as Taichung in July this year grew to overtake Kaohsiung as the nation’s second-largest city, with a population of nearly 2.8 million.
Lu is the first mayor to win a second term since Taichung city and county merged to form a special municipality in 2010.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
As of press time, Lu was leading Tsai with nearly 60 percent of the vote with 73 percent of polling stations reporting when Tsai conceded defeat at about 7pm.
“In life when we fall down, then must get up and go forward. We must find out why we stumbled this time,” Tsai said. “It seems we did not work hard enough to earn the confidence of Taichung voters.”
“We must not lose hope from this defeat. We must put in more diligent efforts in the coming years,” he added.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
With his home in Taichung’s Cingshuei District (清水), Tsai promised to continue working to help the city progress. He did not rule out another run for mayor in the next local elections.
Lu took the stage at about 7:20pm to address supporters.
“This is a victory for all Taichung residents, and I will strive to be a great mayor to repay my gratitude,” she said. “Voters have spoken to keep this city on the side of righteousness and morality, and turned their backs on negative campaigning.”
Tsai and DPP officials attributed the defeat to Lu being able to unify pan-blue forces, with influential Taichung politicians joining as campaign managers and top officials, including former KMT chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) and party powerbroker Yen Kuang-heng (顏寬恒).
Taichung’s position as a KMT stronghold also ensured that the campaign would be an uphill battle for the DPP, they said.
Former Taichung council speaker Lin Min-lin (林敏霖) said during the campaign that Lu united various factions that in the past fought each other for KMT nominations in the region, which weakened the party in the past.
Election officials in Taichung said that about 65 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, higher than usual due to the good weather.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder
RSS