TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Less than a week after being re-elected, Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) registered Friday (Dec. 2) as the Kuomintang candidate for a legislative by-election.

In the Nov. 26 local elections, Wang kept her seat on the Taipei City Council, but even before being sworn in for a new term on Dec. 25, she registered to run for the Legislative Yuan, drawing widespread criticism. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said she was a record holder in jumping ship from one election to the other, the Liberty Times reported.

The legislative by-election, scheduled for Jan. 8, became necessary after KMT lawmaker Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) resigned and was elected mayor of Taipei City on Nov. 26.

The DPP named Forward Alliance founder Enoch Wu (吳怡農) as its candidate for the seat. He was Chiang’s opponent in the 2020 legislative elections.

Showing up to register Friday in the company of Chiang and of KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Wang apologized to her voters, saying she understood why her party could not afford to lose the by-election, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. She said she had no way of avoiding responsibility, and she would take part in the race without considering any damage to her reputation.

Nevertheless, she told reporters she would still take the oath of Taipei City councilor on Dec. 25. Critics also noted that if Wang won the by-election, her departure from the city council would leave the KMT with only 29 seats in the 61-member assembly.

Chu said Wang had gained a positive reputation as the party’s “strongest general” during her 16 years at the city council. However, generals did not have the right to choose the location or timing of their battles, the KMT chairman said.

Wang played a prominent part in the accusations of plagiarism against former Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), who withdrew from the campaign for mayor of Taoyuan City after two universities said the allegations were credible. Lin said he would defend his innocence.

By the deadline Friday evening, a third candidate showed up to register for the Jan. 8 by-election. Hsiao Ho-lin (蕭赫麟), an unsuccessful legislative candidate for the Congress Party Alliance in 2020, registered as an independent, per the Liberty Times.