Members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday launched nationwide campaigns ahead of voting in Saturday’s recall elections.
Groups backing “Yes” votes rallied on Qingdao E and Jinan roads near the legislature in Taipei in a bid to rekindle the voter engagement of last year’s “Bluebird movement,” DPP officials said.
Rallies would be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, they said, adding that on Saturday, coordinated events would be held in every electoral district in which a recall vote is being held.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) attended a rally in Taipei yesterday as part of his nationwide tour to boost support for the recalls, they said.
A DPP staff member said on condition of anonymity that the party allocated limited funding to recall events outside of major urban areas, as the party believed its general campaign would not resonate with rural voters.
The party is primarily focusing on in-person events in rural areas, where voters are more likely to resonate with face-to-face appeals than campaign advertisements, the staff member said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The DPP has sent hundreds of young volunteers to knock on doors in battleground areas, including Hualien County, they said.
The strategy is to appeal to patriotism for the Republic of China, Taiwan, which exists across a broad spectrum of voters, instead of appealing to the party’s base, they said.
The message is to rally around the flag in defense of the nation’s democratic constitutional order and sovereignty against the Beijing-backed opposition, the staff member added.
A volunteer said on condition of anonymity that the unprecedented scale of the recalls suggests voter turnout would be high.
Spurring turnout and winning over those who have yet to make up their mind would be the key to winning, the volunteer said.
The DPP’s priority should be to maintain message discipline by emphasizing defending the nation’s democracy and sovereignty against communism, and avoiding gaffes that could offend uncommitted voters, he said.
Another campaign worker previously said on condition of anonymity that at least 10 KMT lawmakers — Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), the KMT’s caucus whip, in Hualien County; Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) and Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) in Taipei; Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之) in New Taipei City; Tu Chuan-chi (涂權吉) in Taoyuan; Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐) in Hsinchu City; Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) in Taichung, Ting Hsueh-chung (丁學忠) in Yunlin County; and Huang Chien-pin (黃建賓) in Taitung — are expected to lose their seats, he added.
Separately, a KMT spokesperson said that the party had organized four town hall events to back “No” votes that drew high turnouts and generated enthusiasm without resorting to mobilizing its supporters.
The KMT would convene more town hall and other campaign events to highlight the DPP’s poor governance and the credibility of the KMT policies, the spokesperson said.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
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