Two defeated candidates in Saturday’s Taipei mayoral election yesterday began separate thank-you tours, saying they would take some time to think about what their next steps would be.
Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) received about 42.29 percent of the votes, winning in 11 of the city’s 12 districts, while Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) garnered 31.93 percent of the votes and independent candidate Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) received 25.14 percent.
Chen, along with his election campaign convener, former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), yesterday morning rode through the city on the back of a pickup truck to thank those who had voted for him.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Asked about the reason for his defeat — which one member of his team in a political talk show had attributed to a member of his decisionmaking team being a “gangster” — Chen said only he is to blame.
“I was the chief player in this election campaign, so I will be fully responsible for what I did, and I will not blame anyone,” he said before starting his tour.
Chen said that many people came to help him with good intentions, and that he welcomed any support by legal means.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Asked about what he would do next, Chen said he would “take a break and think for a while.”
Also from the back of a pickup truck, Huang thanked those who voted for her.
Asked about her feelings after the election, Huang said that she believes everything in life is a task.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
She had done her best, she added.
Despite her defeat, the election result showed that Taipei residents are willing to vote for a candidate who is neither from the pan-blue nor the pan-green camp, she said.
Asked if she would run for a legislative seat, Huang laughed and said that everyone seems to be eager to find a new job for her, but she will take some time to think about her next step.
The Central Election Commission has announced that a legislative by-election would be held in Taipei on Jan. 8 next year to fill the seat vacated by Chiang, who stepped down as legislator during his mayoral campaign.
Outgoing Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he had congratulated Chiang and asked him to select a project manager for the handover.
Ko also lauded Huang’s strong showing in the election.
Huang, who the TPP endorsed ahead of the mayoral election, has abundant political experience and dedication to serve the public, Ko said.
Garnering more than 342,000 votes as an independent candidate is not easy in Taipei, Ko said, adding that it shows there is a “third political force” in the capital.
However, he said that her defeat also meant that not enough people wanted continuity in Taipei City Hall, referring to Huang being a former deputy mayor in his administration.
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