The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) today announced the results of its Kaohsiung mayoral primary, with DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) emerging as the winner among four contenders in a head-to-head opinion poll against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩).
Lai narrowly defeated DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) to secure the nomination.
Lai garnered 55.99 percent support against Ko at 24.89 percent, followed closely by Chiu, who received 55.38 percent against Ko at 24.66 percent.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) placed third and fourth, with 51.9 percent and 50.59 percent support, respectively.
The party's primaries for Kaohsiung mayor, Tainan mayor and Chiayi County commissioner began yesterday and are to end on Saturday.
Kaohsiung was selected by lottery to go first, with indoor telephone polling conducted simultaneously by three firms from 6pm to 10:30pm yesterday, yielding 1,200 valid samples.
The DPP is expected to formally approve the nomination at its Central Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday next week.
Born in Changhua County’s Dacun Township (大村), Lai, 52, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Soochow University and a master’s degree from National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development.
He served for many years as a legislative aide before spending a decade in the Kaohsiung City Government, where he headed the Marine Bureau and later the Information Bureau during former Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) tenure.
Since entering the Legislature in 2015, he has been re-elected to three consecutive terms. He was also the youngest contender in the primary.
The most important task going forward would be unity and integration as the party prepares to face voters in the election, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
The primary system is a long-standing and important mechanism of the DPP’s intraparty democracy, allowing four strong candidates to present their visions for Kaohsiung’s future through a process marked by healthy competition, Chen Chi-mai said, praising all four for their performances.
Lai said that he had telephoned Chen and would seek his advice at an appropriate time.
He said he had also talked to President William Lai (賴清德), who serves as DPP chairman, saying that Kaohsiung’s development requires support from the central government and that he would work to secure such backing to ensure the city’s continued growth.
He said he has three priorities: uniting all forces, winning the mayoral election and building Kaohsiung into a city where residents of all political affiliations and generations can live and work in peace and prosperity.
He added that he had called the three other primary contenders to express his gratitude and received their congratulations.
The primary was merely a stage in the process, not a contest of personal victory or defeat, Lai Jui-lung wrote on Facebook.
He is keenly aware that only unity can safeguard Kaohsiung and carry its achievements forward, he said, adding that he would move forward with everyone in the spirit of sincerity and humility.
Speaking to reporters at noon, Chiu said that she accepted the primary result and had congratulated Lai Jui-lung.
Kaohsiung must continue moving forward and making progress, she said, adding that only through unity and collective effort could the city continue to improve.
“We competed in good faith on the basis of ideas and policy proposals, together demonstrating the most precious aspects of Taiwan’s democracy worth safeguarding,” she said.
Ko, who has secured the KMT’s nomination for the Kaohsiung mayoral race, also congratulated Lai Jui-lung on his victory.
She now knows who her opponent is and the result was within her expectations, Ko said, adding that she would roll out a series of policy proposals in March.
The person voters need the most is not the person who has more money or resources, but the one who can present the best vision and policies, she added.
Following yesterday’s Kaohsiung poll, Chiayi County was today selected to hold its survey this evening, pitting DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) against Chiayi County Councilor Huang Jung-li (黃榮利).
The highly anticipated Tainan mayoral contest between Legislators Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) and Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) would conclude the polling schedule.
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