With the Nov. 28 local elections about six weeks away, the KMT's Chiang Wan-an and the DPP's Puma Shen held separate events in Songshan and Xinyi on Sunday. Songshan Airport and rumors about senior cash gifts drew attention.
According to the United Daily News and the Taipei Times, the Liberty Times' English edition, KMT incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who is seeking reelection, and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Puma Shen held campaign events on Sunday in and around Songshan and Xinyi districts. The 2026 local elections, set for Nov. 28, are the so-called nine-in-one polls in 22 cities and counties, filling nine types of posts, including mayors, county commissioners and councilors, and 11,051 positions in all.
광고 문의 · 300×250Chiang Stresses First-Term Results
The Taipei Times reported that at the launch of his supporters' association in Songshan, Chiang said the district had improved since he took office in December 2022, citing better transportation infrastructure, stronger health care and more tourism supporting local businesses. He said a newly announced policy lowering the eligibility threshold for urban renewal would help redevelop aging buildings in Songshan and across Taipei. He added that the number of public childcare centers rose from four to 45, and asked voters for another four-year term.
Chiang's recent proposal to relocate Songshan Airport, and his call to discuss it with the central government, form the backdrop to Sunday's events. The specifics of the relocation idea were not detailed in the reports reviewed for this article.
Shen and the Premier Respond
Shen led a motorcade through Songshan and Xinyi on Sunday evening, followed by a rally at Minquan Park, which the United Daily News described as the second stop of his Great Ocean Current Plan. The Taipei Times reported that at Wufenpu Park he called false the online rumor that he would scrap the city's cash gifts for seniors, which are handed out at the Double Ninth Festival. He said he would keep them but make them more meaningful and interesting, proposing, based on practices abroad, that seniors record messages for younger generations when they collect the money. On the airport relocation talks, the Central News Agency reported in early October that Shen called the idea somewhat too hasty.
Premier Cho Jung-tai appeared as a mystery guest and gave Shen a telescope. The United Daily News reported that, answering the claim that Taipei would stay the same if Chiang were reelected, Cho listed Nvidia's arrival, the Dome stadium and Songshan Airport as things already there, and said that if Chiang is reelected, Songshan Airport will still be there four years later. He also argued that residents' views on public safety and child abuse have changed, and criticized Chiang for skipping 77 percent of meetings he himself should chair.
When KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun urged Taipei voters to save Chiang, Cho asked why a mayor needs saving. Those remarks reflect the DPP side; the reports reviewed did not carry a response from Chiang's campaign.
A related United Daily News report said former Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen agreed to chair Chiang's campaign headquarters, and that Shen said he welcomed it. With about 40 days to go, the airport relocation, welfare and public safety look set to remain themes in the Taipei race.
