TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's main opposition party holds its chairmanship election Saturday (Oct. 18). Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) chair hopefuls have intensified final campaign efforts across the island as the election's outcome will determine leadership of Taiwan's oldest political party. Party members face unique strategies from candidates in the final hours.
Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) hosted a rally at Taipei City Council (台北市議會), Taiwan's municipal legislature, on Thursday (Oct. 16), targeting the military and public service sectors. She apologized for the party's past shortcomings and pledged to restore justice and the party's former glory if elected. Cheng emphasized her ability to bring back estranged party members, with military-affiliated supporters attending in support.
Former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-pin (郝龍斌) canvassed in Taipei's Zhongshan District, seeking grassroots votes for the 2026 and 2028 elections. He urged supporters to help him lead the party to victory. Hau shared a video endorsement from Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善), who expressed confidence in his leadership to steer the KMT back to governance.
Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) targeted the same demographic as Cheng on Thursday in Hsinchu, Taiwan's technology hub. He told supporters that voters valuing reliability and loyalty would choose him and Hau, while those prioritizing generational change and combativeness would back him and Cheng.
Another controversy emerged over rumors that the KMT did not plan to centralize vote counting, prompting transparency concerns. KMT Organization and Development Committee (國民黨組發會) Chairwoman Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) assured that vote counting would occur at local polling stations. Party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) expressed hope for a smooth, unifying election. ◼
