Five enter Kaohsiung mayoral race, setting post-merger record; council district sees first uncontested election

Kaohsiung’s next mayoral election will feature five candidates, the largest field since the city and county merged. Registration closed on the fourth, with 101 people entering the city council race across 15 districts.

The mayoral candidates, listed by registration order, are Chang Ching of the Judicial Reform Party, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Jui-lung, independent Wang Chao-min, Kuomintang candidate Ko Chih-en and independent Hung Fang-lung.

The council election will fill 65 seats. District 6, covering Cijin, Gushan and Yancheng, has produced an unusual result: exactly four incumbent councilors registered to seek the four available seats, and no challengers entered. It is the first time Kaohsiung’s council election has seen an uncontested district.

That does not mean the four candidates automatically win. Under Article 70 of the election and recall law, local representatives in an uncontested race must still reach a minimum vote threshold. In the 2022 election, District 6 had 153,513 eligible voters and four seats, producing a threshold of 3,837 votes under the statutory formula.

District 10, covering Siaogang and Cianjhen, drew the largest field, with 13 candidates competing for seven seats. Districts 4 and 7 registered 12 candidates each. The oldest candidate is 83-year-old Chiang Huang-nu in District 3, while the youngest is 30-year-old Chen Kuan-yu in District 4.