Not a ‘High-Vote Victory’: Wang Huimei Sends Flowers to Wei Pingzheng Ahead of Campaign Headquarters Launch

Wei Pingzheng’s campaign headquarters received a congratulatory flower arrangement from Changhua County Magistrate Wang Huimei, but its four-character message has done little to settle speculation over whether she will support his campaign.

The headquarters will formally open on Oct. 6, when Kuomintang Chair Cheng Li-wen is expected to present the campaign flag. The announced speakers include Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, legislator Chang Chia-chun, legislator Chen Yu-chen, honorary campaign chair Chao Shou-po and former Changhua magistrate Juan Kang-meng. Notably absent from the list are Wang, as well as the campaign chair and director-general. Both campaign posts remain vacant.

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Success and smooth progress

Changhua party chief Hsiao Ching-tien said the party and campaign team were making a final effort to persuade Wang to take the campaign chair position. He said Wang could also help negotiate the appointment of a suitable director-general. “The campaign chair and director-general are still vacant because we are waiting for Wang Huimei to agree,” Hsiao said, adding that the party would not give up before the last moment and hoped she might make a surprise appearance at the launch.

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The campaign chair and director-general are still vacant because we are waiting for Wang Huimei to agree.

Wang’s flowers were prominently placed at the headquarters entrance. The arrangement carried the words “Success and smooth progress.” Wei had delivered an invitation to Wang’s office the previous afternoon but did not meet her in person. Observers interpreted the flowers as a return gesture, while stressing that they did not prove Wang had put aside her grievance over how the nomination process treated her or that she would return to campaign for Wei. The choice of wording also drew attention because it did not say “high-vote victory.”

Hsiao offered a more hopeful interpretation, calling the flowers a sign of goodwill and encouragement. Wei posted that he felt “surprised and moved” by Wang’s blessing, saying the gesture had warmed him and his team. He also thanked Yunlin Magistrate Chang Li-shan for a separate flower arrangement that explicitly carried the words “high-vote victory.”

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Surprised and moved