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mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), the DPP’s initial candidate, in August withdrew from the race after his master’s degree was revoked because of plagiarism, a scandal that was the first in a long line of academic integrity issues in mayoral elections nationwide.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.
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