With its eye on the December mayoral and county commissioners' elections and in a sign of possible cooperation between the KMT and the PFP against the ruling DPP, the KMT yesterday stated its intention to propose revisions to the Law on Local Government Systems (
Some KMT members, however, expressed opposition to such a proposal.
"If a candidate and his running mate, who belong to different parties, win the election, how will they make appointments fairly according to party representation? What if they disagree with each other? It will surely cause chaos," lawmaker Chen Horng-chi (
Other KMT members, however, disagreed with Chen, saying that the details of further cooperation were negotiable.
"The KMT and the PFP are associated parties. There is plenty of room for electoral cooperation to achieve victory," KMT caucus whip Cheng Yuan-chin (
Echoing Cheng's view, lawmaker Liao Fung-te (
Both PFP spokesman Hwang Yih-jiau (
The KMT, in addition, is likely to propose that electoral victory in the mayoral and commissioner's races depended on winning an absolute majority (
DPP members, however, said the opposition alliance's move was an act of political manipulation, taking advantage of their majority of legislative seats to revise laws any way they wanted to.
"It's their short-term strategy [to cooperate with each other] since they are unlikely to merge as a party in the longer term," DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (
A secret meeting between KMT chairman Lien Chan (
"The party will compete fairly against other parties in accordance with the principles of party politics," Soong said on Sunday, adding that he met with Lien last Friday to express his thanks to the KMT for its decision not to seek reconsideration of a prosecutor's decision not to indict him in the Chung Hsing bills finance case (
Soong had, during the presidential election, faced charges that he embezzled roughly NT$360 million of the KMT's funds.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force