The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday nominated Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) as its candidate in a legislative by-election in Taipei to be held on Jan. 8.
Wang is a highly qualified candidate who can continue serving the people if elected, KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷), who heads the party’s Cultural and Communications Committee, told a news conference.
Wang, who was re-elected as city councilor in the local government elections on Saturday last week, is to run for the legislative seat left vacant by Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the KMT, who was elected mayor of Taipei.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Wang is to face ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Enoch Wu (吳怡農) in Taipei’s third electoral district, covering the Zhongshan (中山) and northern Songshan (松山) electoral district, where Wu lost to Chiang by about 6 percentage points in 2020.
Based on a recent telephone poll, Wang stands a good chance of winning against her DPP opponent, Hung said.
Regardless of whether she remains a councilor or becomes a legislator, Wang would not be leaving her constituents in Taipei and would continue to serve the city, he said, adding that she has the support of Chiang and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Wang said she was hesitant to run, but was convinced by several KMT veterans — including Chu, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and talk show host Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) — of the seat’s importance to the party.
In a radio interview earlier yesterday before she registered her candidacy with the Taipei Election Commission, Wang said she decided to take on the challenge even though the campaign team that helped her in the city council race was against the idea.
The KMT and DPP each hold three legislative seats in Taipei after one was left vacant by Chiang, she said.
Given the support Taipei legislators can give to the city’s mayor, losing another seat to the DPP would not help the mayor-elect, she said
Taipei consists of eight single-member constituencies, each represented by a lawmaker, with independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) among them.
Not surprisingly, her candidacy was criticized by the DPP.
DPP Acting Chairman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) accused Wang of abandoning the people who voted to re-elect her to the city council and said she owed them an explanation.
“She has yet to take office, but is already taking part in another election,” said Chen, who was re-elected Kaohsiung mayor.
Wang later apologized to her constituents, saying that her decision to accept the party’s nomination came after much contemplation.
She added that she was not fighting for personal gratification, but for the good of the party.
Wang has served the same district for 16 years since first winning election to the city council in 2006.
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