TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The results are finally in, and 43-year-old Kuomintang candidate Chiang Wan-an secured the coveted spot of Taipei City Mayor on Saturday (Nov. 26).
The great-grandson of former Taiwan President Chiang Kai-shek has established the family's legacy, beating out 11 other contenders.
In particular, Chiang defeated strong candidates, including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shih-chung and independent candidate and former Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang.
Speaking on Saturday evening, Chiang attributed his win to Taiwan citizens who cast their ballots for the election.
Looking back, Chiang's path to success reveals a late start to the game.
As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Chiang practiced law in the United States for some time before returning to set up an office in 2014.
However, just one year later, Chiang tossed his hat into Taiwan's political ring.
After being elected legislator, Chiang became known for his strong arguments and criticism toward the DPP's amendments to the Labor Standards Act. Afterward, he made an even deeper impression among social media users during a brawl in the Legislative Yuan between the DPP and the KMT in 2019.
On that day, the KMT was protesting against the voting in of Lee Chin-yung as Central Elections Commission (CEC) chairman. Chiang, who was among those hugging the speaker's desk in protest, shot to overnight fame as Legislator Chen Yu-jen clung to him in a tight hug.
Soon after, Chiang was faced with a second battle for a legislative seat. This time around, his challenger was the equally popular Enoch Wu from the DPP.
In the end, Chiang came out on top, cementing his status among the favorites of the KMT, and laid the path to the mayoral bid today.
Following his win, one of the biggest obstacles could be to shed his authoritarian family's legacy.
However, his notion of renaming the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall was not well received by many die-hard KMT supporters which could become an issue as he works further up to a possible presidential bid in 2024.
