Changhua magistrate learned of party's candidate via media, signals rift before election

Changhua County Magistrate Wang Hui-mei has signaled her dissatisfaction with the Kuomintang party's nomination of Wei Ping-cheng as their candidate for the upcoming election. Wang, who has governed for eight years, stated she learned of Wei's nomination through media reports while she was on an overseas visit. This revelation suggests a disconnect between her recommendations for a successor and the party's final decision.

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The nomination was not my preferred candidate.

In a Facebook post, Wang defended her recent appearances with President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai, framing them as efforts to secure funding and development for Changhua. However, the focus quickly shifted to her mention of having proposed her own candidates to the party central committee in hopes of increasing the chances of victory. Her subsequent learning of Wei's nomination via the media, she implied, demonstrated a lack of respect for her input.

While Wang did not directly criticize the party or explicitly state she would not support Wei, her narrative suggests she feels her advice was disregarded. She emphasized her commitment to working with the "county government team" on development, a phrase that conspicuously avoids mentioning election campaigning. This stance, coupled with her repeated absence from Kuomintang campaign events and her appearing alongside political rivals, indicates a deliberate distancing from Wei's campaign.

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I learned about the party's nomination of Wei Ping-cheng through media reports while I was abroad.

With the election approximately 100 days away, Wang's public communication conveys a clear message: she is no longer playing along with the party's strategy and intends to chart her own course. Her actions suggest she feels wronged by the party's process and is opting to remain a "bystander," leaving the campaign's success or failure to party officials like Chairwoman Shiu-wen Chen and county party chairman Hsiao Ching-tien, who recommended Wei.

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I will continue to work with the county government team until the very end.