Campaigns for November’s local elections speeding up

Candidates in the Nov. 28 nine-in-one local elections squared off in Kaohsiung, New Taipei City and Taichung yesterday as their campaigns began to pick up steam.

At a campaign event in Kaohsiung, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweights including President William Lai (賴清德), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) stumped for DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), who is running as the party’s Kaohsiung mayoral candidate.

Lai Jui-lung said that as someone from a working-class background, he would “humbly serve all residents” if elected.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Jui-lung, front, second right, joins hands with President William Lai, front, second left, and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai at a campaign event in Kaohsiung yesterday.

Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times

Meanwhile, Lai Jui-lung’s opponent, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) canvassed support at a traditional market.

She was accompanied by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and TPP Kaohsiung city councilor candidate Lin Yu-kai (林于凱).

Ko Chih-en said the KMT and TPP should collaborate to win more seats in the Kaohsiung City Council, while Ko Wen-je criticized the KMT’s campaign strategy in Kaohsiung as “vapid” and overly “defensive.”

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator and Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en, front, left, reacts as Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je, front, right, speaks to reporters in Kaohsiung yesterday.

Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times

DPP Legislator and New Taipei City mayoral candidate Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) said that if elected, she would build an “international sports and cultural center” on the site of the Taipei Detention Center, which is to be relocated.

Meanwhile, Su’s opponent, KMT candidate Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), campaigned along with KMT New Taipei City councillor candidates and pledged to launch a project to construct a metro line across the Dahan River (大漢溪) and a light rail line connecting New Taipei City’s Linkou (林口), Bali (八里) and Tamsui (淡水), districts to the Taoyuan Metro.

In Taichung, Deputy Legislative Speaker and the KMT’s mayoral candidate Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and his opponent, DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純), attended campaign office launch events for city council candidates from their respective parties.

The elections are known as the “nine-in-one” elections because voters in Taiwan’s 22 administrative regions will cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different types of local government posts, including city mayors, county commissioners, and city and county councilors.

Also up for grabs are seats for township mayors and chiefs of indigenous districts in municipalities, township councilors and indigenous councilors in municipalities, as well as borough wardens. In total, 11,051 local officials will be elected.