Presidential candidates and their parties are launching a fresh round of campaign activities to win over voters in the last week-and-a-half before election day.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday intensified its efforts for the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday next week, campaigning at 1,139 major intersections across the nation.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the KMT’s presidential candidate, canvassed New Taipei City with borough wardens who endorse him, while KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) asked voters for their support in Taipei and KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) campaigned in Taoyuan.
Photo courtesy of a reader
“Today, Mr Hou, Mr Jaw and I stand at intersections across the country, along with our KMT county commissioners and mayors, to show our determination to return to power,” Chu said. “The entire KMT — the candidates, party staff members, and city and county councilors — will go all-out in the next 10 days.”
The KMT is expected to perform better in the final days leading up to the election, but it must also beware of smear tactics from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is painting the KMT as either a corrupt or a pro-China party, Chu said.
“Based on the DPP’s advertisements attacking Mayor Hou over the Kaisuan Condominium, it is hard to imagine that in Taiwan a political party can only win a general election using smear tactics. We hope that moderate voters will think twice about letting the DPP continue to rule,” Chu said.
Photo: CNA
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) also embarked on a new round of campaign activities. TPP Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his running mate, Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈), canvassed nationwide in separate motorcades.
They are seeking to give the public greater exposure to the TPP and “arouse enthusiasm among supporters” of the party, Ko said before setting out from New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊).
The TPP’s nationwide campaign, which has already seen Wu travel to New Taipei City’s Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林) districts, is to be live-streamed on social media, the party said.
Photo: CNA
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to launch a new campaign this morning, when its presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), and his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), are to greet the public in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) respectively.
Lai’s and Hsiao’s canvassing efforts are part of a final campaign drive that would see DPP members make appearances at 1,000 locations across Taiwan’s 22 administrative regions, the party said.
This would be Lai’s eighth tour of the nation’s main island to mobilize supporters since he entered the presidential race in April, the DPP said.
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