Candidates for Kinmen County commissioner visited some of the area's isolated and sparsely populated islets yesterday to scour the area for votes.
New Party candidate Lee Chu-feng (
"I believe voters have been aware that no other candidate has a long-term devotion to the county like mine," Lee said.
Lee, who represents Kinmen in the legislature, has failed twice in his bid to win the commissioner's seat.
The New Party candidate's major rival is the DPP's Chen Zau-nan (
Chen's bid marks the first time the DPP has fielded a candidate for commissioner in a county dominated by the New Party.
Though the candidate has no family ties in Kinmen, he shares the same name as the Chen Clan Association, a powerful faction that is backing him in the race.
Another promising candidate is the People First Party's (PFP) Tsai Shih-min (
Through his position, Tsai has managed to build a strong rapport with Kinmen residents and is supported by the Tsai Clan Association.
PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) visited Kinmen on Nov. 26 to stump for Tsai, giving him a boost among undecided voters.
Kinmen County covers 150.5km2. The farthest area in the county is Wuchiu (烏坵) township, which sits on a small islet 133km from Kinmen's major island.
In Tainan County, political watchers say that pro-KMT factions have united for the first time to win a victory in the stronghold of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Political observers say the DPP's strength has been weakened by the participation of Wei Yao-chien (魏耀乾), a former party member, in the commissioner's race.
Wei may siphon away votes from DPP candidate Su Huan-chih (
Su's fight against Wei is expected to leave the candidate weaker against KMT competitor Wu Ching-chi (
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
To give Su a boost, first lady Wu Shu-chen (
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
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS