The names of seven pan-blue legislative candidates from the New Party running under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) banner in December's elections were announced yesterday.
While the seven will be running as KMT candidates, the New Party said that it would also be nominating an eighth person to run for a seat under its own banner.
The majority of New Party candidates would run for the KMT to increase the latter party's chances of winning more legislator-at-large seats, New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (
Each party is awarded legislator-at-large seats based on the proportion of the national vote for that party.
By adding candidates to the KMT roster, the New Party will pass on its share of the proportional vote to the KMT.
Not dependent on the KMT
But the New Party would not rely on KMT campaign funds or other support, Yok said.
He said that the New Party is a separate entity from the KMT and that it was seeking to maintain a presence in the legislature by having one member run under the New Party banner.
That candidate will be from a small voting district and be sure to win, Yok said, leading observers to assume the candidate will be New Party Legislator Wu Cheng-tien (
Wu, who represents Kinmen County, is the New Party's sole legislator.
Article 33 of the Legislative Yuan Organic Law (
Yok also said that a merger of the three pan-blue parties was inevitable.
KMT pleased
The response from the KMT was positive, with KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
List of nominees
The eight New Party members who will be running for the legislature are Taipei City Councilor Alex Fei (
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS