Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), won reelection last night when he triumphed over his chief competitor, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
Hu declared victory after receiving about 250,000 votes, marking an improvement on his performance four years ago, when he received about 213,000 votes. A feared pan-blue split did not affect Hu's support base, with the People First Party's Shen Chih-hui (
Fireworks immediately lit up the sky after Hu announced victory from his campaign headquarters. Supporters waved flags and shouted "Congratulations, Mayor Hu! Go, go, Mayor Hu" as he made a victory speech.
"I want to thank all residents for your support over the last four years. We will change Taichung City for the better, and make it the brightest city in the Asia-Pacific region," Hu said.
Meanwhile, Lin was admitting defeat from his campaign headquarters.
"This temporary failure gives us a chance to collect our thoughts and reflect on what has happened. I hope this experience will be helpful for the democratic movement in the future," he said yesterday, as he bowed to thank his supporters.
Hu's success in winning a second term was expected, as he enjoyed a steady lead in polls from the beginning of his campaign.
Although the race went largely unnoticed as the electoral focus fell on more unpredictable battles around the country, a series of attacks on Hu by the DPP recently did turn some of the attention back onto what was an intense battle.
The DPP's focus on Hu's health, for example, remained an issue to the very end, with some citizens receiving text messages at about 4am yesterday that said Hu had been sent to the hospital at midnight and was in a critical condition.
Hu cast his vote yesterday morning at a polling station at a local high school and condemned the rumor.
"I am surprised to learn such news, and feel sorry that the climate of the elections is being ruined like this ... I will take legal action against those who spread the rumors," he said.
Police traced the message on the Internet, and identified at least two sources, one of which was in the Philippines.
Hu suffered a mild stroke two years ago while visiting the US.
Possibly as a result of this, his health came under scrutiny in the course of the campaign.
The health issue, along with other accusations, including allegations that he had added a 10-year period of study in the UK to his public service record for a pension application, failed to have a negative impact on Hu's campaign.
Lin resigned from his post as head of the Government Information Office (GIO) earlier this year to enter the race. However, his critics have accused him of being a carpetbagger. In addition, Lin's political experience and popularity lag far behind that of Hu, who previously served as both GIO director and minister of foreign affairs.
Having won a second term, Taichung's deteriorating public order, a problem that has haunted the city for some time, will remain the most important issue awaiting the mayor's attention over the next four years.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS