Costumed and shouting slogans, legislative hopefuls came out in force yesterday, the first day of five that they can register as candidates in their voting districts for the year-end legislative elections.
Registration for the sixth legislative elections scheduled for Dec. 11 are being accepted at local-level election committees until Tuesday.
PHOTO: CNA
The lists of nominees for at-large legislative seats and seats representing overseas Chinese are being submitted directly to the Central Election Commission (CEC) by political parties, in accordance with the commission's regulations.
The campaigns began with a bang as many would-be contenders showed up to register in costume, while the New Party's hopefuls formally registered with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
In Taipei City, a five-member Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) team tried to piggyback on the recent Olympic hoopla by wearing fake gold medals.
Calling themselves "gold-medal warriors," the team, including legislators Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), Kuo Cheng-liang (郭正亮), Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) and Lan Mei-chin (藍美津) -- along with Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) -- said they were all confident of victory.
Not to be outdone, People First Party (PFP) candidates Lee Ching-an (
KMT candidate Justine Chou (
Aboriginal DPP candidate Chen Ying (
Meanwhile, lead by New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (
The seven are: Taipei City Councilor Alex Fei (
After the seven signed the KMT forms, they, along with Yok and New Party Legislator Wu Cheng-tien (
Lien told the delegation "welcome home."
"We have waited to get these [KMT] legislative recommendations for 12 years [since the New Party was formed by KMT defectors]," Lee Sheng-feng said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a