Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said that he would not seek the KMT’s nomination for the Taipei mayoral election in November.
“I never said that I would run. I will stay at the Legislative Yuan,” Chiang said.
He said that he would continue as KMT caucus convener for the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee to check and balance administrative power.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
He is to focus his attention on bills that address labor rights, air pollution and food safety when scrutinizing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he added.
Chiang said he decided to remain a legislator after the DPP this month pushed amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) through the legislature, rendering his efforts to review the amendments futile and degrading relevant agencies into “rubber stamps.”
Asked whether the KMT would appoint him as its Taipei mayoral candidate, forcing him to run, he said such a scenario is “out of the question.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Asked whether he would lend his support to KMT Taipei mayoral candidate hopeful Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), a former KMT legislator, Chiang said he would back anyone who emerges as the winner in the party’s primary.
He had made his position on the election clear to KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), he added.
KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) said he respected Chiang’s decision.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said he had high hopes for Chiang, but respected his decision.
It is unlikely that Chiang would be “drafted” by the KMT for the Taipei mayoral election, Tseng added.
Separately yesterday, Ting applauded Chiang for deciding to stay in the “battlefield” at the legislature.
“This is an act of shouldering responsibility that deserves recognition,” Ting said, adding that it would take party unity for the KMT to win back Taipei.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Lee Ming-hsien (李明賢) said he respected Chiang’s decision, adding that it would not affect the party’s plan to nominate someone through a primary who is most likely to win the election.
The nominations of all candidates for city mayor and county commissioner posts in November’s nine-in-one local elections would be based on public opinion polls, rather than surveys of only KMT members, Lee said.
The nomination process for Taipei and New Taipei City mayoral candidates is expected to begin after the Lunar New year holiday next month, he said.
DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智), who is seeking the DPP’s nomination for Taipei mayoral candidate, said he was slightly disappointed by Chiang’s announcement.
It would be far more interesting if Chiang is in the race, Yao said.
Chiang’s decision was both graceful and a responsible move, as it allows the KMT to find other candidates in time, he added.
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu and staff writer
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS