Melbourne will hold a new mayoral election on May 11, a new Melbourne mayor is about to be born. According to statistics, of the 14 candidates for the election, 3 are Chinese. If one of the three is elected, it means Melbourne may have the second Chinese mayor in history, which will also increase the influence of Chinese in Melbourne!
Melbourne （澳大利亚重要港市， 华侨称“新金山”）
(former Mayor of Melbourne Doyle)
Non-citizens may also vote
Melbourne voters will receive ballots from April 23 and must be sent back to the Election Commission by 6 p.m. on May 11.
Why report on this mayoral election? The reason is simple: non-citizens can also participate in the mayoral election, and all persons who are 18 years of age and who rent a house or commercial premises in the Melbourne municipal government area for more than a month, regardless of their nationality, may participate in the elections.
This means that the vast number of international students living in the city center and the Chinese with work visas can cast a vote with significant influence.
According to statistics, 40% of Melbourne CBD residents are Chinese-born young people or Chinese-born people, and if all of these people can actively participate in the election, the chances of winning the election will increase.
There are 14 candidates for mayor of Melbourne
Melbourne`s mayor has been suspended since February, when former Melbourne mayor Doyle (Robert Doyle) resigned voluntarily over a sexual harassment scandal.
In the upcoming Melbourne market campaign, 14 candidates, including politicians, businessmen, academics, artists and others, have confirmed their participation in the by-election, according to the state election commission.
The list of 14 candidates running for mayor of Melbourne is as follows:
Victoria Real Estate Association Director Karp (Sally Capp), Labour Party member Luke Downing, Murben Rohan Leppert, Independent Councillor and Scholar Sally Warhaft, businessman Alex MacDonald, former Melbourne Mayor Allan Watson, Contemporary Artist Katie Sfetkidis, pollster Gary Morgan, The former beauty pageant, Nathalie Nicole Oz, 39; Sughrue, psychologist Michael Burge, Animal Justice Party candidate Bruce Poon, Liberal Party member and former Murben City Councillor Wang Zongjian, Labour Party member and former Manningham City Councillor Yang Qianhui and slightly mysterious Chinese Xie Qun
Three Chinese candidates have a rich curriculum vitae
Three of the 14 candidates in the race are Wang Zongjian, Yang Qianhui and Xie Qun (female).
华裔富商王宗坚第二次竞选墨尔本市长
据澳洲媒体介绍，王宗坚、杨千慧一直都活跃在墨尔本的政坛上，其中王宗坚也是一位富商，曾经是一名议员，并曾于2016年早就竞选过墨尔本市长一职，但当时未能竞选成功。
杨千慧首次参加墨尔本市长竞选
杨千慧从政履历更加令人眼前一亮，她曾两次出任Manningham市长，并曾在2016年辞职代表工党参加联邦大选。落选后，她以联邦反对党领袖办公室多元文化顾问的身份活跃于维州华人社区。不过，在此次墨尔本市长补选中，她将以独立候选人资格参与竞选。
墨尔本首位华人市长苏震西
值得一提的是，原墨尔本市长，也是墨尔本有史以来第一位华人市长的苏震西，日前曾对外表示，将在此次市长选举中全力支持杨千慧和王宗坚。
而第三位华裔候选人谢群就显得非常隐秘，她在墨尔本政坛中的知名度并不高，认识了解她的人也不多。资料显示，谢群出生于中国青岛，现为澳洲国际投资集团的一名董事。
激烈的墨尔本市长竞选即将展开，最终是谁能够赢得选举，目前我们不得而知。但是，有一点很确定的是，只要王宗坚、杨千慧和谢群这三位华裔，有其中一个能当选，都必将提升华人在墨尔本的社会地位，让华人更加受到重视。
