191 candidates sign on to support gender equality

A total of 191 people running for local government positions have expressed support for gender equality by signing up on the Taiwan Equality Campaign’s “Pride Watch” Web site, the nonprofit group said yesterday.

After registering on the site, candidates completed a questionnaire to indicate their positions on gender equality issues, group representatives said.

Candidates can also use the Web site to list their policy pledges and proposals, they said.

Representatives of the Taiwan Equality Campaign hold signs at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Screen grab from Taiwan Equality Campaign’s Web site

“Pride Watch” has attracted more than 100,000 views each election cycle since the site was launched in 2018, the Taiwan Equality Campaign said.

In the 2022 local elections, 245 candidates registered, 87 of whom were elected as local councilors, it said.

They put forward at least 233 gender-related proposals and formally questioned local government officials on gender issues on 104 occasions over the following four years, the group said.

In the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, 103 candidates registered on the site, including then-presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) and his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), it said.

The Web site also lets voters submit records of candidates’ past statements on gender equality, the group said.

Gender equality affects people’s daily lives, it said, urging voters to use the site to scrutinize candidates and ensure that their commitments to gender equality are reflected in local policies.

In the Nov. 28 elections, voters would cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different local government posts, including city mayors, county commissioners, and city and county councilors.

Other positions being contested include township mayors and councilors, borough wardens and indigenous peoples’ district representatives.

In total, 11,051 candidates would be chosen for offices at all levels of local governments.