Amid vote-buying accusations from the pan-blue camp, the legislature meets today to elect a new legislative speaker and deputy speaker.
The opposition alliance of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), People First Party (PFP) and the New Party yesterday vowed to impose disciplinary measures on party members who do not support incumbent Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday confirmed its support for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Legislator Ker Chien-ming (
PHOTO: CHOU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Ker will name his running mate today.
The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union yesterday said it would support the Wang-Chung ticket. TSU caucus whip Huang Tsung-yuan (
"The TSU's 12 lawmakers will cast their votes for Ker. Those refusing to toe the party line will receive the most severe punishment," Huang told reporters after a caucus meeting.
Citing media reports, KMT Chairman Lien Chan queried whether the DPP had been involved in vote-buying.
Rumors have circulated that the DPP offered bribes to opposition lawmakers to support the DPP ticket. KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (
Lee said his colleagues had heard that the DPP was attempting to bribe opposition lawmakers in order to secure an election victory for Ker, but he provided no evidence to back the allegations.
PFP Legislator Shen Chih-huei (沈智慧), who had expressed interest in running for deputy speaker and was rumored to be preparing to defy her party, yesterday visited Wang and Chung in a show of support.
"I'm afraid that if I don't come out now to show my support for them, the public will misunderstand me," she said. "It's clear enough who I'll vote for, since I'm here today."
New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (
"We don't have problems of discipline. All four of our lawmakers will join the KMT caucus and pave the way for a future merger of the KMT, the PFP and the New Party," he said at a press conference.
Except for Wu Cheng-tien (
Also see story:
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he