2026 Elections: Chiang, Shen pitch sports and welfare agendas

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and his challenger Puma Shen (沈伯洋) campaigned in the capital yesterday, highlighting sports achievements and support for disadvantaged groups, respectively, with local elections less than three weeks away.

At a gathering of sports supporters at the Taipei City Council, Chiang highlighted his administration’s achievements over the past four years, including Taipei’s first-place ranking in a nationwide sports- city survey conducted by Global Views Monthly this year.

Chiang of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) also pointed to the Taipei Dome, which opened during his first year in office and has since hosted major baseball games, as well as his administration’s efforts to renovate baseball fields and develop new sports facilities across the city.

Democratic Progressive Party’s Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, left, greets supporters at a campaign event in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

Sports are "a way of life" that can "make residents healthier and the city more vibrant," Chiang said as he urged members of Taipei’s sports community to support his reelection bid.

Meanwhile, Shen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) attended the opening ceremony of a joint campaign headquarters with fellow DPP-nominated city councilor candidate Wendy Ma (馬郁雯) in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正).

In his address, Shen praised Ma, a former TV reporter, for her investigative reporting, which he said had exposed numerous scandals in the city, including cases of child abuse.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, front, third right, gestures along with others at a campaign event in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: CNA

He said Ma’s vision of ensuring that the voices of disadvantaged people are heard aligns with his own concept of municipal governance, which would prioritize listening to the public and protecting vulnerable groups.

The 2026 local elections will be held on Nov. 28.

The elections are also known as the "9-in-1" elections because voters in Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties will cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different local government posts, including city mayors, county magistrates, and city and county councilors.

Also up for grabs are seats for township chiefs and chiefs of Indigenous districts in municipalities, township councilors and Indigenous councilors in municipalities, and ward chiefs.

In total, elections will be held for 11,051 officials at all levels of local government.