After months of speculation and innuendo, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
The KMT, which nominated its own Taipei mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin (
Pledging to run as a candidate "transcending party affiliations," Soong shrugged off the KMT's concerns by declaring that he would temporarily leave his position as PFP chairman to run as an independent candidate, while urging Taipei residents to choose their future mayor according to the candidates' abilities.
"We should not depend on `faction politics' in Taiwan ... In choosing the future Taipei mayor, residents should consider candidates' abilities, instead of asking what a candidate's father or his party chairman can do," Soong said while releasing his new book at the Mayor's Arts Residence Salon.
To chants of "Go, go Chairman Soong," the PFP chairman promised that if elected mayor he would visit the city's districts on a regular basis to better understand residents' concerns.
Soong dismissed claims that he was running for mayor to retain his visibility prior to the 2008 presidential election, saying he would be satisfied with a four-year term as mayor and would not seek re-election thereafter.
"Taipei City Hall is not a springboard to the Presidential Office ... [Serving as mayor] would represent the conclusion of my political career," he said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Chairman Soong has put all his effort into understanding Taipei City's issues ... Given an opportunity, I believe that he will transform Taipei into a brand new city," Wang said.
Soong promised that if elected he would focus his efforts on issues such as urban regeneration and water resource projects.
Incumbent Taipei Mayor and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"We will continue to try every possible means to ensure that there is only one candidate representing the pan-blue alliance," Ma said at Taipei City Hall.
In addition to Hau and Soong, independent Legislator Lee Ao (
Ma said the pan-blue camp could not afford another split such as it suffered in the March 2000 presidential election and the 1994 Taipei mayoral race. He added that he would do whatever he could to avoid such a scenario, including meeting with Lee or Soong.
Hau said he respected Soong's decision to run and vowed to compete in a gentlemanly manner.
"Pan-blue voters should join forces and not be split. As the KMT candidate, the most important thing for me is to spare no effort to earn voters' support," Hau said while registering his candidacy for the election with the Taipei Municipal Election Commission.
Hau promised that if elected mayor he would work to develop Taipei as a friendly, safe and truly international city.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who brought cheerleaders and baseball players with him to the Central Election Commission, told the press that hosting the Olympic Games in Taipei in 2020 was a possibility.
Calling rival KMT candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) "pessimistic," Hsieh said: "Taipei needs a mayor who can make the impossible possible."
Taiwan Solidarity Union candidate Clara Chou (
In Kaohsiung, the DPP's Chen Chu (
Chen said she would implement 10 major policies to establish Kaohsiung as a "happy, oceanic capital."
Additional reporting by Flora Wang, with CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘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
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting