Taipei:Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an emphasized his administration's accomplishments and future plans at the opening of his campaign headquarters on Monday, as he seeks re-election in the upcoming local elections on November 28.
According to Focus Taiwan, Mayor Chiang addressed supporters at a rally held at Dunhua Junior High School in Taipei, adjacent to the campaign headquarters. He highlighted notable achievements such as Taipei receiving a Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Special Mention this year and Nvidia's establishment of its first overseas headquarters in the capital last year. Initiatives cited by Chiang included free milk for schoolchildren, free school lunches, measures to reduce public smoking, and advancements on six MRT projects.
Chiang expressed his long-term vision for Taipei, focusing on continued investment in artificial intelligence and urban development. He acknowledged supporters' anxiety over the election campaign and maintained that he would stay true to his original public persona.
Several prominent political figures, including KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, and Taiwan People's Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang, joined Chiang at the rally. Supporters praised Chiang's policies, such as the free milk program and measures to reduce secondhand smoke exposure. Attendee Edison Yang commended Chiang's performance as mayor, while David Chiang, a retired government employee, supported the mayor's proposal to relocate Taipei Songshan Airport for redevelopment purposes.
Chiang is running against Democratic Progressive Party candidate Puma Shen in the mayoral election. The elections, dubbed the "9-in-1" elections, involve voting for various local government posts across Taiwan's 22 cities and counties. In total, elections will be held for 11,051 officials at different levels of local government.
