Eleven of the people already admitted to taking NT$1,000 each, a spokesman with the district prosecutors office in the southern county said

The spokesman, Chiang Teh-lung, did not specify any candidate that might have been involved, or name the elected official that had been questioned. But he said prosecutors are following a lead provided by one of the suspects — a ward chief — trying to trace the vote buyer.

Three candidates are in the by-election to be held on Sept. 25 to fill a seat representing the southern county in the national legislature.

Chang Keng-hui is the standard bearer of the ruling Kuomintang, while Chang Hui-yuan has broken with the party to mount an independent campaign.

The third candidate is Liu Chin-kuo from the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party. The spokesman said prosecutors received complaints about alleged vote-buying Friday night, and they conducted raids early in the morning in Dounan.

Meanwhile, in Chiayi City, a by-election to select a new mayor was heating up, as DPP candidate Twu Shiing-jer opened his campaign office.