Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai says the new Kaohsiung mayor should love and know the city very well. He made the remarks in Kaohsiung on Monday. He is rumored to be the DPP candidate for the Kaohsiung mayor by-election on September 12.
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu was voted out of office in a historic first for a Taiwan mayor on Saturday. He will officially step down this coming Friday and, if there are no court challenges to the recall, the Cabinet will appoint an acting mayor to serve until the September election.
Han was the first KMT mayor for the southern city in 20 years.
On Monday, when asked about the possibility of running for Kaohsiung mayor, Vice Premier Chen said, “No matter who runs, I believe that person must love Kaohsiung and have a deep understanding of the city. I believe this is what the people of Kaohsiung hope for.”
Chen is a native of Kaohsiung; he ran in the mayoral election in 2018, and lost to Han.
Chen served as a three-term legislator from Kaohsiung before 2004 and was a two-term legislator-at-large ahead of the mayoral election in November, 2018.
Over the weekend, New Power Party (NPP) Chairman Hsu Yung-ming said his party would support a non-KMT candidate in the election. If Chen represents the DPP, Hsu said the vice premier would likely win the NPP's support.
People have speculated that Kuomintang Chairman Johnny Chiang would run in the Kaohsiung by-election, but the party said on Monday that he would not.