Former premier Simon Chang (張善政) last night declared victory in the Taoyuan mayoral race after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate received about a 52 percent share of the votes in one of the most scrutinized races in the nine-in-one elections.
“First, I want to thank voters in Taoyuan for giving me this responsibility to develop Taoyuan,” Chang said in his victory speech. “You have seen the development plan that I have laid out for the city and you have given me the power to move forward. I promise to stand with all of you and reward your trust in me with a good performance in the next eight years.”
Chang thanked Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for his accomplishments in the city over the past eight years, adding that Cheng had assured him there would be a “seamless” transition to the new administration.
Photo: CNA
He vowed to make the city a new Asian capital for smart technology.
Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), the DPP’s candidate, conceded the election.
“We humbly accept the choice of the voters in Taoyuan,” Cheng Yun-peng told supporters. “I take full responsibility for losing the election.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Cheng Yun-peng Election Campaign Office
The Taoyuan race was closely watched in Taiwan due to Cheng Wen-tsan’s high approval rating, which hovered at about 70 percent as the end of his time in office drew nearer.
The DPP’s performance in the city’s mayoral election is considered a bellwether for presidential elections.
However, the apparent DPP advantage in Taoyuan was offset by a last-minute change of its candidate.
Former Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), the DPP’s initial candidate, in August withdrew from the race after his master’s degree was revoked because of plagiarism, a scandal that was the first in a long line of academic integrity issues in mayoral elections nationwide.
On Aug. 27, former DPP legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) left the party and ran as an independent, turning the election into a four-way race.
Failure to carry Taoyuan might threaten President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) position as DPP chairperson, as she made the final decision on the party’s mayoral candidates nationwide.
Tsai reportedly campaigned with Cheng Yun-peng in Taoyuan 11 times over the past three months, including a rally on Sunday last week and another on Friday night.
Cheng Wen-tsan first won in Taoyuan in 2014, beating then-Taoyuan mayor John Wu (吳志揚) of the KMT by securing 51 percent of the votes.
He was re-elected in 2018, defeating former legislator Chen Shei-saint (陳學聖) of the KMT with 53.46 percent of the votes.
Voter turnout in 2014 and 2018 was 62.73 percent and 60.63 percent respectively, but the rate yesterday was only 58.01 percent — although not all of the polling stations had reported as of press time last night — the Taoyuan Election Commission said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS