The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) won 15 out of 23 positions in yesterday's city and county council speakership elections, while the eight remaining posts went to independents.
In the deputy speakership races, the KMT won 14, independent councilors gained eight posts and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won just one.
The results were not without controversy as several of the winners have already been charged with or are suspected of involvement in corruption or vote-buying.
PHOTO: CNA
The Ministry of Justice said in a press statement that prosecutors nationwide had received many tips about vote-buying, and they would continue to probe the matter.
The re-elected speaker of the Tainan County Council, Wu Chien-pao (
Wu is alleged to have earned more than NT$1 billion (US$30.3 million) selling sand illegally quarried from the Tsengwen River (
Re-elected Changhua County Council Speaker Pai Hung-shen (
Re-elected Kaohsiung County Council Speaker Hsu Fu-sen (許福森), of the KMT, has a case pending against him in the Kaohsiung District Court. Hsu is charged with taking bribes and helping several unlicensed industrial waste handlers to secure waste disposal contracts. He is also charged with running a firm that dumped waste illegally.
Several Kaohsiung prosecutors appeared at the offices of the Kaohsiung County Council yesterday to supervise the election.
The city's prosecutors raided an illegal gambling house on Saturday night that was suspected of being used to generate funds for Hsu's speakership campaign.
Prosecutors suspect Hsu of offering councilors bribes ranging from NT$500,000 to NT$1 million in exchange for votes.
Hsu, Pai and Wu are all suspected of maintaining ties with gangsters.
Independent Tainan City Council Speaker Huang Yu-wen (
Huang allegedly received more than NT$100 million from Yiching Construction to arrange for the firm to win a contract in the Heshunliao (
Early yesterday morning the Tainan District Court issued an arrest warrant for KMT Tainan County Councilor Chen Tsung-hsing (
Chen's detention forced KMT Councilor Chou Szu-hai (
"We learned that Chen paid 22 councilors amounts ranging from NT$800,000 to NT$1 million. We are hoping that the councilors can report the matter to prosecutors voluntarily," said Yen Jung-sung (
Yen applied for permission to detain Chen late on Tuesday night, and the court agreed to his request early yesterday morning.
Independent Taitung County Councilor Lin Fu-hsiung (
His suggestion sparked a huge quarrel on the floor of the council.
Taitung County Councilor Li Chin-huei (
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
RSS