TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (???) announced on Saturday (Sept. 23) that he will take a leave of absence from his office as the mayor of New Taipei City to focus on his presidential campaign.
While Hou is on the campaign trail, mayoral responsibilities will fall to Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (???). According to CNA, Hou has enough annual leave time accumulated to last until the end of the year.
Hou’s request to leave the mayoral office to focus on campaigning comes much earlier in the election cycle than that of his predecessors, KMT presidential candidates and former mayors Eric Chu (???) and Han Kuo-yu (???), reported UDN. It remains to be seen how Hou’s absence from city hall may affect his popularity with New Taipei voters.
KMT chairman Eric Chu welcomed the news of Hou stepping back from his work at city hall. He said that Hou has taken a practical approach to the campaign schedule, as he will no longer need to balance mayoral responsibilities with national campaign activities, reported CNA.
The New Taipei City Council is set to hold a regular meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 26), which will be presided over by Liu. In response to Hou’s request for leave on Saturday, a group of 11 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city counselors held a press conference on Sunday (Sept. 24) to criticize Hou’s decision, accusing him of shirking his duties as mayor, per CNA.
