Local election campaigns heat up across Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 3 (CNA) Candidates in Taiwan's Nov. 28 nine-in-one local elections squared off in Kaohsiung, New Taipei and Taichung on Saturday as their campaigns began to pick up steam.

Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) received an endorsement from Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) at a prayer event organized by the Taiwan Presbyterian Church's Yanchengpu Church.

Hsiao, who served as Taiwan's representative to the United States from 2020 to 2023, said she had witnessed changes in Kaohsiung since returning to Taiwan, noting that the city had transformed from an "old, ugly and stinky" city into one home to the Asia New Bay Area commercial district, the Asian Asset Management Center and the Kaohsiung Metro.

She said Lai, a lawmaker and former Kaohsiung city government official, is poised to become the next DPP mayor in the traditional DPP stronghold, and she called on voters to support him.

Lai, meanwhile, said that as someone from a working-class background, he would "humbly serve all residents" if elected.

Lai's opponent, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), meanwhile, canvassed support at a traditional market.

She was accompanied by Taiwan People's Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and TPP Kaohsiung city councilor candidate Lin Yu-kai (林于凱).

Ko Chih-en said the KMT and TPP should collaborate to win more seats in the Kaohsiung City Council, while Ko Wen-je criticized the KMT's campaign strategy in Kaohsiung as "vapid" and overly "defensive."

In New Taipei, Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧), the DPP's nominee for mayor, said that if elected, she would build an "international sports and cultural center" on the site of the Taipei Detention Center, which is set to be relocated.

Meanwhile, Su's opponent, KMT candidate Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), campaigned for KMT New Taipei City councillor candidates and pledged to launch a project to construct a metro line across the Dahan River and a light rail line connecting New Taipei's Linkou, Bali and Tamsui districts to the Taoyuan Metro.

Turning to Taichung, Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), the KMT's Taichung mayoral candidate, and his opponent, DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純), both attended campaign office launch events for city council candidates from their respective parties in support of their campaigns.

Taiwan's 2026 local elections will be held on Nov. 28.

The elections are also known as the "nine-in-one" elections because voters in Taiwan's 22 cities and counties will cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different types of local government posts, including city mayors, county magistrates, and city and county councilors.

Also up for grabs are seats for township chiefs and chiefs of Indigenous districts in municipalities, township councilors and Indigenous councilors in municipalities, and ward chiefs. In total, 11,051 local government officials will be elected.