TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In the midst of rising tension over vote-buying allegations in Taiwan's political scene, Wang Shih-Chien, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative candidate for Taipei City, dismissed accusations against him as "boring" on Thursday (Dec. 7), refusing to elaborate on the claims.
These allegations came to light when his opponent, Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Yu Shu-hui, shared a post on Facebook a day earlier, revealing a stash of beer boxes adorned with images of DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and Wang at a local banquet.
The incident adds to an ongoing saga of controversial campaign tactics in Taipei. Recently, KMT legislative candidate Hsu Chiao-hsin for Taipei's Songshan and Xinyi Districts faced similar allegations of vote-buying for distributing noodles.
Hsu criticized the DPP for handing out lunch boxes at campaign events and giving out beer printed with Lai's campaign slogans, hinting at a double standard within the DPP.
In response to the vote-buying claims, Wang presented photos showing that Yu had distributed campaign items, including small bags, dishwashing liquid, and snacks.
The exchange highlights the ongoing debate over what constitutes inappropriate campaign gifts, as both major parties scrutinize each other's activities in the run-up to elections.