Penghu Election Registration Begins as Independent Candidate Calls for Televised Debate

Penghu’s county magistrate race has opened with an independent candidate challenging every contender to defend their plans in a televised debate.

Hsu Chih-fu said the debate should cover each candidate’s policies, vision, governance approach and record of action. He described it as the best way to test whether candidates can govern rather than simply present campaign slogans.

Under Taiwan’s rules for publicly organized policy presentations, the traditional format can become a debate if at least two-thirds of the county magistrate candidates agree. Hsu urged the other candidates to accept that arrangement.

Hsu said Penghu’s magistrate serves as the county’s public face and its senior civic representative. A fair, open forum, he argued, would allow residents to assess whether the candidates’ proposals meet Penghu’s development needs and whether their policies are practical.

Candidates who have declared their intention to run include Democratic Progressive Party candidate Wu Shu-chin, Kuomintang candidate Chen Chen-chung, Hsu, independent Yeh Chu-lin, Taiwan Solidarity Union candidate Chou Ni-an, and independents Chen Chin-chuan and Hsu Ming-jen. Registration dates and times listed for the candidates run from Sept. 2 to Sept. 4, although several times had not been set.

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Truth withstands the test, and ability should not fear scrutiny.