TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) announced on Thursday (Jan. 15) that legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) emerged victorious in the Tainan mayoral primary with 60.85%, surpassing Lin Chun-hsien's (林俊憲) 58.16%. The party plans to confirm her candidacy at the Central Executive Committee (中執委) meeting next week, marking a significant step in the upcoming election.
The party conducted the primary poll on Wednesday (Jan. 14) from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with three polling companies executing the survey. Officials opened the results on the morning of Jan. 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the presence of representatives from both candidates. DPP Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) tasked Deputy Secretary-General Ho Po-wen (何博文) with overseeing the process, ensuring transparency and fairness.
Lin, previously backed by 25 city councilors and three legislators, faced a challenging race. As a protégé of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Lin's campaign symbolized a contest between factions aligned and not aligned with Lai. Chen, who formed her faction after leaving the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA, 正國會). The primary results also highlighted Chen's favorable standing against her Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) mayoral candidate and the current legislator of the party, Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), with a 60.85% to 13.86% lead compared to Lin's 58.16% to 21.64%.