Election Countdown: Analyst Breaks Down Northern Taiwan's Race, Chiang Wan-an Faces 'Must-Win' Pressure, New Taipei's 'This Move' Worries Su Chiao-ching

As Taiwan's local elections approach, political analysts are scrutinizing the key races in the northern region, particularly the mayoral contests in Taipei and New Taipei. The pressure is mounting for incumbent Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who faces not only scrutiny over his administration's performance but also the significant burden of needing to achieve a landslide victory.

Chang Yuan-hsiang, an associate professor of political science at Soochow University, observes that Chiang's campaign is hampered by ongoing municipal controversies. Simultaneously, the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate in Taipei, Shin-Pei-hsin, is reportedly closing the gap through a distinctive personal approach to campaigning.

In the closely watched New Taipei mayoral race, a particular strategic move by the DPP is creating unease for candidate Su Chiao-ching. The specifics of this strategy were not detailed, but its impact is seen as a potential vulnerability for Su's campaign. The election is scheduled for November 28th, with both major parties actively engaged in final preparations.