Now onto the local elections. In the latest development, the KMT has finalized its candidate for the Kaohsiung mayoral race. It will field former lawmaker Ko Chih-en, who now heads a Taipei-based think tank. On Wednesday, Ko announced that she will move to Kaohsiung next week. She said she looked forward to a “gentlemen’s fight” with incumbent Chen Chi-mai of the DPP.
Ko Chih-en
Kaohsiung mayoral candidate (KMT)
Several times when I was in Kaohsiung, I ran into Chen Chi-mai at the high-speed rail station. The mayor would ask me where I was going. At the time, he was a legislator, and he would ask the driver to circle around, so that I could feel the warm atmosphere of the city. So I’d like for the upcoming campaign to be a fight between gentlemen.
Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung mayor
Former Legislator Ko used to be my colleague at the Legislative Yuan. She is a guest from afar. I believe that after she comes here, she will be treated to the warmth of the people of Kaohsiung.
Before she was a legislator, Ko worked in broadcast journalism and education. She entered parliament in 2016 as a legislator-at-large, and ran unsuccessfully as a district candidate in 2020. Ahead of her Kaohsiung campaign, Ko has tried to distance herself from the city’s last KMT mayor, the controversial Han Kuo-yu. In an interview, she said she would not revive Han’s more colorful proposals, such as the so-called Love Ferris Wheel by Love River.