Could Taipei’s unexpectedly tight mayoral race add to cross-strait tensions?

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Incumbent from KMT beset by municipal controversies, as his opponent from Taiwan’s ruling DPP enjoys rising support among centrist voters

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Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an faces an unexpectedly tough re-election fight in a race closely watched for its potential to damage the main opposition party Kuomintang and further strain the island’s relations with Beijing.

Just five months ago, Chiang appeared comfortably positioned for a second term in a city where the KMT has traditionally enjoyed an advantage over the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

A poll by local cable news network TVBS in late May put him 28 percentage points ahead of DPP challenger Puma Shen, reinforcing expectations that the incumbent could coast to a second term.

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