Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday she will retire after her term ends in May next year.
She said she would make way for some other capable person from the DPP to take her place in next year's presidential race with President Chen Shui-bian (
"In the past year I have kept telling President Chen I would not run for a second term ..., but the president appears not to believe what I have said," Lu said.
PHOTO: WANG YU-LING, TAIPEI TIMES
She said she is serious about what she has said because she wants to give Chen "more room" for maneuvering.
She said there is an urgent need for Chen and the DPP to quickly pick a vice-presidential candidate as it would be better for him to start his re-election campaign as soon as possible.
"This is why I decided to step back and I do it for the sake of all [in the party] so that it can move forward," she said.
The announcement by Lu to back off from next year's race has provoked several power struggles within the DPP.
Different factions within the party are reported by local news media to have started a proxy war with the major New Tide clique backing Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to be Chen's running mate.
New Tide flatly denied such a move.
The Welfare Nation clique is reported to have opted for its key political heavyweight, Taipei County Commissioner Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌) to be Chen's deputy.
DPP officials said the vice presidential candidate would only be announced some time in autumn.
Political analysts said Chen is going to have a tough time dealing with the internal power struggles arising from Lu's withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Lu has also said she would respect whatever decision made by Chen, thus leaving the door open for her to still be picked by the president as his running mate, making the power struggle even more complicated, analysts said.
Chen had said on Tuesday that there was no reason to speculate whether Lu would be on the ticket as vice president in next year's election because the DPP had to concentrate on more pressing concerns such as the economy.
Chen also said in a press release made available by the Presidential Office that the real decision would be made during the nomination process
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RSS