Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday made last-ditch efforts to solicit support for their candidates in the lead-up to today’s legislative by-elections.
Three by-elections will be held in Taoyuan, Taichung and Taitung. Winning any of the three by-elections will be a breakthrough for the DPP, which hopes to grab more seats in the KMT-dominated Legislative Yuan.
The by-elections in Taoyuan and Taichung counties are being held following the invalidation of the election of the KMT’s Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井) and Chiang Lien-fu (江連福) after they were convicted of vote-buying. The Taitung by-election is being held to fill the seat left vacant by former KMT Legislator Justin Huang (黃健庭), who resigned in October to run in last month’s Taitung County commissioner election, which he won.
PHOTO: CNA
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday traveled to Taoyuan, Taichung and Taitung counties to campaign for KMT candidates in his capacity as KMT chairman.
Ma did not attend any by-election-related campaigning events before yesterday.
He brushed off allegations about his reluctance to campaign for former Taitung County commissioner Kuang Li-cheng (鄺麗貞) and walked the streets with her in the morning.
“My schedule has been really tight. I hope I can visit all three counties and campaign for party candidates in one day and dispel all the rumors,” Ma said yesterday in Taitung.
Kuang, who sparked controversy over her frequent foreign trips during typhoon seasons while she was commissioner, had agreed to withdraw from last month’s Taitung County commissioner election race.
She yesterday thanked Ma for his support and expressed confidence she would win today’s by-election.
Ma also campaigned for legislative candidates Yu Wen-chin (余文欽) of Taichung and Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲) of Taoyuan.
The DPP yesterday also pulled out all last-minute stops on election eve to ensure victory in today’s by-elections.
The DPP’s main strategy is to stress that the three seats up for grabs today were all made available after the former KMT winners were convicted of vote-buying.
Braving the cold, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) zigzagged across Taoyuan, Taichung and Taitung counties in the last week to support party candidates.
Tsai appeared at a rally for Taichung County nominee Chien Chao-tung (簡肇棟) yesterday before heading north to Taoyuan where an ensemble of DPP heavyweights such as former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and former premiers Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) were to stump for Kuo Jung-tsung (郭榮宗), a former DPP lawmaker.
DPP Secretary-General Su Chia-chuan (蘇嘉全) sat at the helm for the race in Taitung where Lai Kun-cheng (賴坤成) will face Kuan.
The DPP have 27 seats in the legislature. If it can take two additional seats, it will pass the crucial threshold of one-fourth of the 113-seat legislature.
In another development, DPP nominee Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) yesterday completed her registration to vie for the legislative seat for Hualien County in the legislative by-election scheduled to take place on Feb. 27. Also, KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) yesterday announced the nomination of former KMT legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) as the party’s candidate to grab another legislative seat in Taoyuan County.
The KMT also completed the nomination process of party candidates in the Feb. 27 by-election in Hualien, Hsinchu, Taoyuan and Chiayi counties.
Cheng Yung-tang (鄭永堂), brother of former Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金), will run in the legislative by-election in Hsinchu. Lin De-ruei (林德瑞), a professor at National Chungcheng University, will represent the party in Chiayi County, while Wang Ting-sheng (王廷升), a professor at National Tunghua University, will run in Hualien.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
RSS