Dec 3, 2006, 12:12 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties on Sunday mobilized tens of thousands of supporters to attend campaign rallies in the southern city of Kaohsiung ahead of key mayoral polls scheduled for the coming weekend.
The mayoral elections in Kaohsiung and the capital Taipei are seen as a prelude to the presidential poll in 2008 and an indicator of whether the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) can hold onto power.
Scandal-plagued President Chen Shui-bian took part in the 'Super Sunday' mass rally by a river in Kaohsiung to stump for DPP candidate Chen Chu, 56, the former chairwoman of the Council of Labour Affairs and once a political prisoner.
'Taiwanese cannot lose. They can't be beaten,' shouted Chen, who has been under mounting pressure to step down over a string of corruption scandals linked to him, his family and government.
Tens of thousands of supporters shouted back when Chen held hands with other DPP leaders, including Vice President Annette Lu, Premier Su Tseng-chang and DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun in a show of unity during the rally held Sunday evening.
Kaohsiung is a traditional stronghold of the DPP, too important for the independence-leaning party to lose in the face of a strong candidate from the main opposition Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT).
The DPP has resorted to nationalistic sentiment by asking voters to vote for the DPP candidate who advocates the so-called 'Taiwanese identity,' a euphemism for Taiwanese independence, as it has done in all previous elections.
The KMT, which supports reconciliation with China, a rival of Taiwan since the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949, also massed tens of thousands to stump for its standard bearer, Huang Chun-ying, 65, an academic-turned politician who once served as deputy mayor of Kaohsiung when the KMT still governed Taiwan.
'Get elected, Huang Chun-ying,' shouted KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou, who doubles as Taipei mayor.
Ma has taken a leave of absence since Friday to help the KMT candidate campaign in the race.
Both the ruling and opposition parties have made Kaohsiung their major battleground as it is almost certain that Hau Lung-bin, the KMT candidate running for the Taipei mayoral post, will be able to win the race in the capital city, which is dominated by KMT supporters.
Although the DPP candidate, former Premier Frank Hsieh, has made some headway recently, he is still far behind Hau, who is leading with a support rate of 42 per cent, according to various opinion polls.
Six candidates, including the KMT and DPP nominees, are vying for the mayoral post in Taipei, while five candidates are running in Kaohsiung.
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