Chiang Kai-shek’s great-grandson is the driving force behind the revitalization of the Kuomintang

TAIPEI — Whenever Mr. Cheng Wangan toured the election campaign, young women clamored to take a selfie with him.

His good looks and charisma are why so many people said they voted for him in Saturday’s Taipei mayoral election.

At 43, he is set to become the city’s youngest mayor, and observers say he could help restore popularity to his opposition Nationalist Party (KMT).

With only 3% of National Party members under the age of 40, the National Party is seen as facing growing political apathy.

The once-dominant party, which charters unification with China, has seen its support dwindle amid increasing Beijing military attacks on the island. sees it as a separate ministry to be reunited.

However, youth is not the only factor behind its popularity. Mr. Chen is also very much in the limelight because of his family background.

He is the son of a former foreign minister, Mr. John Cheng (formerly surnamed Chan), who claims to be the illegitimate son of the late President Chiang Ching-kuo.

As a result, the next mayor will be the great-grandson of the late Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek is the head of the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China, which led the withdrawal to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist Party in the civil war on mainland China. He ruled the island until his death in 1975.

Still, during Chiang Wan-An’s election campaign, the surname was seen as a potential disadvantage. Many Taiwanese remember Chiang Kai-shek as a dictator.

Instead, the former lawmaker, who resigned just two weeks before Saturday’s vote, repeatedly promised to revitalize Taipei and boost the city’s international profile.

They include a promise to bring innovation to the capital and make it a high-tech place for residents to live.

Before entering politics, he has two children, plans to have another, and worked as a corporate lawyer in the United States.