Kaohsiung City Speaker dies after mayor defeated in recall election

Kaohsiung City Speaker Hsu Kun-yuan (許崑源) was found dead this evening, June 6, after his party suffered a severe defeat in an election to recall the mayor.

Hsu, 63, is believed to have fallen from his 17th-floor apartment.

The recalled mayor, Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) , was shocked and saddened by Hsu’s death, Liberty Times reported, and called on his supporters to calm down. “Politics is temporary; life still has to go on,” Han said.

Hsu’s brother Hsu Kun-long was a pioneer in Taiwan’s democracy movement, and took part in the Kaohsiung Incident and subsequent efforts to challenge single-party rule when Taiwan was ruled under martial law by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Hsu Kun-yuan entered politics in 1994 as an independent, non-party-affiliated representative, but eventually joined the KMT after Ma Ying-jeou won the presidential election in 2008.

Hsu’s last words were posted on Facebook at 8:40 pm. “This time, who can be the winner?” Hsu wrote.

Hsu fell from the building at 8:45 pm, according to United Daily News.

Controversial Kaohsiung Mayor, Han Kuo-yu suffered defeat in an unprecedented effort to unseat an incumbent mayor. A recall election was initiated that saw Han defeated 939,090 to 25,051.

It is the first time in Taiwan’s history that a politician has been recalled, reported The News Lens.

While Han’s supporters were obviously in the minority, they are well-known for their fanaticism and devotion to ideals revolving around the flag of the Republic of China, which Han Kuo-yu used as a symbol for his campaigns to become mayor of Kaohsiung City in 2018, and his unsuccessful bid for President of Taiwan in 2020.

Cover picture: United Daily News.

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