The battle for Taipei’s mayoral seat is heating up. According to the latest media polls, Ko Wen-je has 34.9% support, while Ting Shou-chung has 30.8%, showing a neck-and-neck race between the two. Yao Wen-chih, meanwhile, continues to trail with just 10.4% support. Although 21.9% of voters remain undecided, there are rumors that Yao may be urged to withdraw by his party if his poll numbers do not exceed 15%. In response, Ko Wen-je said in an interview today, “No way, absolutely not!”
Ko Wen-je has recently been actively courting light-blue camp voters, including paying respects on Armed Forces Day (September 3), visiting veterans, and offering job opportunities to retired civil servants. However, his poll numbers have not seen a significant rise—in fact, the gap with Ting Shou-chung has narrowed. When asked by the media whether this indicates that his policies targeting military personnel, civil servants, and teachers have failed, Ko responded cautiously, saying he isn’t thinking too much about it and is just doing what needs to be done for the city every day.
As for his green-camp opponent Yao Wen-chih, whose poll numbers show no signs of improvement and who remains in last place with 10.4%, there are rumors that he may be urged to withdraw by his party if his support does not exceed 15% by the end of August. Ko Wen-je exclaimed, “No way, absolutely not!”
The same poll also suggests that Ting Shou-chung is more capable than Ko in handling the Taipei Dome issue. Ko Wen-je responded by saying that the Taipei Dome problem stems from many small issues being left unresolved, which eventually snowballed into a major mess. However, they will still resolve it—legality and safety are the priorities throughout, and their attitude has been clear from the start: no obstruction, but also no leniency. The urban planning review will take place on September 20, and the issue will be addressed through the review process.
Additionally, some poll results indicate that 50% of the public believes Ko should focus more on economic development. Ko Wen-je stated that the Taipei City Government has always considered factors such as localization, internationalization, and industrialization when pushing policies. Hiking trails are also an industry. Taipei has rich ecology, and there are few places in the world where you can soak in hot springs and see the ocean within 30 minutes—like the Four Beasts Mountain area, which attracts many foreigners. He suggested organizing all of Taipei’s hiking trails to create a new tourism attraction for visitors, rather than just bringing them to places like Longshan Temple.
(China Times)