By KHT Staff. Image via Liberty Times.
KAOHSIUNG — Taiwan’s two major parties brought prominent Taipei political figures to Kaohsiung on the same day, highlighting the city’s importance in the approaching local elections.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) traveled south Saturday to campaign with Kuomintang (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang (沈伯洋) separately joined the party’s Kaohsiung candidate, Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆).
The parallel appearances linked the mayoral contests in Taiwan’s two largest cities and allowed both parties to test whether high-profile Taipei politicians could help energize their Kaohsiung campaigns.
Chiang joined Ko at her first major campaign rally near Fongshan MRT Station. Former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) also attended, giving the event a strong national-party presence.
Organizers initially said the crowd exceeded 10,000, although later campaign estimates and independent online counts differed significantly. No official attendance figure was available.
After the rally, Chiang and Ko campaigned through Liuhe Night Market, where supporters and visitors stopped them for photographs and handshakes. Chiang missed his scheduled 7:30 p.m. high-speed rail departure and took a later train after completing the walk.
Ko’s campaign presented the delay as evidence of the reception Chiang and Ko received. Critics online questioned whether the original itinerary left enough time to travel from the night market to Zuoying HSR Station. The scheduling dispute attracted attention, but it was secondary to the broader display of KMT support for Ko.
The DPP staged a markedly different appearance. Shen traveled from a morning campaign event in Taipei to Kaohsiung, where he joined Lai at the Love River Bay water recreation area. The two changed into casual clothing and tried stand-up paddleboarding before meeting supporters.
Shen and Lai also proposed a series of “Taipei-Kaohsiung” debates involving the two parties’ candidates, further connecting the campaigns in the north and south. Shen later returned to Taipei to attend the DPP’s 40th-anniversary concert.
The contrasting events reflected different campaign approaches. The KMT emphasized a large Fongshan rally, senior party figures, and traditional night-market canvassing. The DPP used Kaohsiung’s waterfront and recreational development as the setting for a younger, less formal appearance.
Kaohsiung remains a major political target for both parties. The DPP has governed the city for most of the period since 1998, but the KMT demonstrated in 2018 that the city can change hands. Ko is again seeking to break the DPP’s hold, while Lai is campaigning to continue the party’s control after Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) completes his second term.
