TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) delivered pointed remarks about governance accountability Tuesday (Aug. 19) at the annual kindergarten principals' conference, emphasizing the critical need for tangible results over political rhetoric. The mayor welcomed ambitious individuals seeking to serve New Taipei City Taiwan's most populous municipality while demanding concrete achievements that genuinely benefit residents. His comments came as political speculation intensifies around the upcoming 2026 mayoral race and potential succession plans.
The incumbent mayor expressed gratitude to residents for their continued support of municipal initiatives, underscoring how responsive governance drives meaningful urban development across the sprawling metropolis. Hou outlined his expectations for potential successors, demanding they demonstrate deep understanding of New Taipei City's unique challenges and opportunities. Future mayoral candidates must present superior policy visions while maintaining unwavering accountability to the city's diverse population of over four million residents.
ERA News (年代新聞) polling released Tuesday revealed significant voter preferences for the 2026 New Taipei mayoral contest, with opposition Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's largest opposition party, potentially gaining advantage through strategic candidate selection. Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) would command 31.6% voter support if nominated, outpacing ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧). The survey showed Lee maintaining leads of 8.5 percentage points over Su and 10.8 points over Lin Yu-chang (林右昌).
Alternative KMT candidate scenarios produce dramatically different electoral outcomes, with New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (劉和然) trailing DPP's Su by 11.4 percentage points in hypothetical matchups. Lin Yu-chang would maintain an 8.2 percentage point advantage over Liu in this configuration. Cross-party coalition scenarios involving KMT, People First Party, and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) support for Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) would still result in Su leading by 5.8 percentage points. ◼
