TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Changhua City Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (邱建富) on Tuesday raised the possibility of running for Changhua County magistrate, a move that could turn the race into a four-way contest involving the DPP, KMT, TPP, and an independent candidate.
Chiu previously competed against DPP Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) in the party’s county magistrate primary but lost the nomination, per SETN. He initially criticized the selection process as unfair before later softening his stance.
In an interview Tuesday, Chiu criticized nomination decisions made by both the KMT and DPP, per Liberty Times. He said the KMT’s decision to nominate attorney Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) instead of KMT Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳳), whom he described as the stronger candidate, has continued to generate friction within the party.
Turning to the DPP, Chiu reiterated his criticism of the party’s primary polling, arguing that the results differed significantly from other surveys conducted before the nomination. He also pointed to the historically weak performance of candidates directly appointed by their parties in Changhua, saying the political environment could give him a viable path to victory.
Chiu added that growing opposition in the county to President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) New Tide faction could also work in his favor, per UDN. He argued that his standing in previous polling suggested he remains a competitive candidate.
Chiu previously finished third in a DPP magistrate primary, trailing Legislator Huang Hsiu-fang (黃秀芳) by about 2 percentage points, per NOWNews. He was expelled from the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association for challenging Huang, the group’s preferred candidate.
Chen is generally viewed as having stronger support in southern Changhua, while her primary rivals draw support from northern parts of the county.
Local political observers said Chiu’s confidence may stem in part from his role in helping secure victories in all 26 municipalities in Changhua County during former President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2020 re-election campaign, per Business Today. However, they cautioned that he may be overstating the extent to which those results reflected his own political appeal rather than Tsai’s popularity.
