Taiwan election: Rival campaigns trade barbs over poll integrity

A New Taipei City mayoral candidate's pledge not to criticize pollsters has ignited a fierce response from her rival's campaign, who accused her father of hypocrisy.

Su Chiao-hui, a candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), stated she would not attack polling organizations following the release of a recent poll by Epoch TV. This statement came amid questions raised about the poll's sample size and its accuracy in reflecting the true electoral landscape of New Taipei City.

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you're slapping your own father in the face again.

However, Kuo Yin-lan, spokesperson for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Lee Chuan-chi, quickly counterattacked. Kuo invoked past statements by Su Chiao-hui's father, former Premier Su Tseng-chang, who allegedly labeled his own party's polls as 'fake' during the 2011 DPP presidential primary. At that time, Su Tseng-chang accused his opponent, Hsieh Chang-ting, of using fabricated polls to undermine him.

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constantly releasing fake polls to attack him.

Kuo further pointed to 2018, when Su Tseng-chang, running for New Taipei City mayor, reportedly dismissed a poll showing him trailing incumbent Hou Yu-ih as having low credibility. The KMT campaign argues that Su Chiao-hui's current stance directly contradicts her father's past criticisms, suggesting she is 'slapping her father in the face' again.

The exchange highlights the contentious nature of political campaigning in Taiwan, where poll results and their integrity often become a focal point for attacks between rival parties. The campaigns are using past statements and perceived inconsistencies to gain an advantage and question the credibility of their opponents.

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the credibility of such polls is not high.