Taiwan will hold its “nine-in-one” local elections at the end of the year. On May 13, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lai Ching-te announced the nomination of legislator Shen Po-yang to run for mayor of Taipei City, stating that Shen has cross-disciplinary expertise in law, criminology, and public policy, and has long been involved in democratic development, human rights advocacy, and national security resilience, RTI News reported. Lai called him the “best candidate for Taipei mayor.”
Shen Po-yang runs for Taipei mayor
According to Central News Agency reports, Lai said Shen grew up in Taipei, studied at Jianguo High School and National Taiwan University’s law department, earned a master’s degree in law, then went to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States for further studies. He later obtained a doctorate in legal criminology and sociology from the University of California, Irvine. After returning to Taiwan, he served as an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of Criminology at National Taipei University, teaching students his professional knowledge.
Lai said Shen understands that Taiwan’s democracy was hard-won, and therefore founded the Taiwan Democracy Lab to promote democratic deepening. Shen also places strong emphasis on human rights and once served as vice chairman of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights. In response to the Chinese Communist Party’s cognitive warfare and disinformation threats, Shen has actively promoted societal defense resilience and founded the Kuma Academy, demonstrating a strong sense of mission toward national society. After entering the Legislative Yuan, he has continued to serve on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and as convening member, focusing on national security and foreign policy issues.
Regarding municipal governance capability, Lai said Shen’s sociology research covers the interaction between people, society, and the environment. He not only has expertise in law and criminology but also deeply studies urban planning, environmental psychology, and public policy, making him a “social engineer” with cross-domain governance ability.
Lai stated that if Shen is elected mayor of Taipei, he would govern the city from an “ecosystem” perspective, focusing on education, culture, living environment, transportation, industrial development, international connectivity, and labor rights. He emphasized that city governance should not be a pile-up of isolated policies, but an integrated ecological chain.
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He also noted that Shen is a warm and emotionally sensitive person who has devoted himself to criminology research to help disadvantaged children. Shen and his wife’s story of adopting a daughter was also moving, reflecting compassion and warmth.
Lai said Shen has long engaged with the international community and possesses a broad global outlook, which is important for governing the capital. He said Shen has international vision, cross-domain governance breadth, and care for citizens’ needs—what he called a candidate with “three-dimensional governance capability.” He urged Taipei residents to support Shen in leading the city toward the international stage and not fall behind Taiwan’s progress.
According to a poll released on May 7 by the New Taiwan National Policy Foundation think tank, incumbent Kuomintang mayor Chiang Wan-an leads with 52.9 percent support, far ahead of Shen’s 29.7 percent.
CNA reported that when asked by reporters about his strategy to win against the popular incumbent mayor Chiang Wan-an, Shen responded that the DPP has always been the challenger in Taipei, and he is no exception. The most important thing is not the base vote, but presenting a vision so that citizens can make their choice after listening. He said that after being nominated, he will actively visit grassroots communities, stressing there is no “winning formula,” only listening to the public.
Blue camp nominates Wei Ping-zheng for Changhua County magistrate
According to Liberty Times reports, the Kuomintang has nominated former disciplinary committee chairman Wei Ping-zheng to run for Changhua County magistrate, causing dissatisfaction from KMT legislator Xie Yi-feng, who had also sought the nomination.
KMT chairman Zheng Li-wen said the party must continue governing Changhua County. Based on the special local political situation, the party will use a special nomination mechanism, with the central nomination review committee handling the case as a special project in coordination with the local party branch and local leaders, to complete the final nomination process.
Zheng emphasized that the KMT is determined to win this election. He said Wei has complete policy ideas and strong professional expertise, is a distinguished local figure in Changhua, a representative industrial leader, and an outstanding legal professional. Facing a complex political environment, the party needs talents like Wei with strong professional arguments and fighting ability.
Xie Yi-feng, who was not selected, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the “special nomination” system led by the central leadership. She criticized the absence of polls or primaries, and the direct exclusion of her candidacy, Yahoo News Taiwan reported.
After confirming she was out of the race, Xie Yi-feng jokingly described herself and other local hopefuls as “extras in a soap opera” and said they had all “received their lunch boxes.” She added: “If we lose the Changhua County election, the central and county party branches must take full responsibility,” implying that KMT chairwoman Zheng Li-wen should step down.
Public records show that Taiwan’s 2026 nine-in-one elections will be held on November 28, 2026. These elections combine multiple local positions including mayors of special municipalities, county magistrates, councilors, and village chiefs, and are generally viewed as a midterm test of the ruling party.
