Two defeated candidates in Saturday’s Taipei mayoral election yesterday began separate thank-you tours, saying they would take some time to think about what their next steps would be.
Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) received about 42.29 percent of the votes, winning in 11 of the city’s 12 districts, while Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) garnered 31.93 percent of the votes and independent candidate Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) received 25.14 percent.
Chen, along with his election campaign convener, former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), yesterday morning rode through the city on the back of a pickup truck to thank those who had voted for him.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Asked about the reason for his defeat — which one member of his team in a political talk show had attributed to a member of his decisionmaking team being a “gangster” — Chen said only he is to blame.
“I was the chief player in this election campaign, so I will be fully responsible for what I did, and I will not blame anyone,” he said before starting his tour.
Chen said that many people came to help him with good intentions, and that he welcomed any support by legal means.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Asked about what he would do next, Chen said he would “take a break and think for a while.”
Also from the back of a pickup truck, Huang thanked those who voted for her.
Asked about her feelings after the election, Huang said that she believes everything in life is a task.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
She had done her best, she added.
Despite her defeat, the election result showed that Taipei residents are willing to vote for a candidate who is neither from the pan-blue nor the pan-green camp, she said.
Asked if she would run for a legislative seat, Huang laughed and said that everyone seems to be eager to find a new job for her, but she will take some time to think about her next step.
The Central Election Commission has announced that a legislative by-election would be held in Taipei on Jan. 8 next year to fill the seat vacated by Chiang, who stepped down as legislator during his mayoral campaign.
Outgoing Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he had congratulated Chiang and asked him to select a project manager for the handover.
Ko also lauded Huang’s strong showing in the election.
Huang, who the TPP endorsed ahead of the mayoral election, has abundant political experience and dedication to serve the public, Ko said.
Garnering more than 342,000 votes as an independent candidate is not easy in Taipei, Ko said, adding that it shows there is a “third political force” in the capital.
However, he said that her defeat also meant that not enough people wanted continuity in Taipei City Hall, referring to Huang being a former deputy mayor in his administration.
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