Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun yesterday strongly recommended using approval ratings to select the party's Kaohsiung mayoral candidate, sparking anger from some party members, who accused him of failing to remain impartial.
Although former Council of Labor Affairs chairwoman Chen Chu (
Under the DPP's current primary mechanism, party members will vote on Sunday for their favored candidate. This will count for 30 percent in the selection process. A telephone survey of Kaohsiung residents -- scheduled for next month -- will count for the remaining 70 percent.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Yu said at a press conference that he had consulted some "important people" in the party about the new method and had gained their support.
"We would like to emphasize that only unity can lead to a victory and only negotiation could result in unity," Yu said. "We think that using a survey to settle on a candidate is the best way to find out the best hope for the DPP."
Yu added that the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections were crucial to the DPP's development and he was worried about the negative effect if the DPP failed to win the elections.
Therefore, Yu said, the DPP would try its best to coordinate with the three potential candidates -- DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (
"I believe that if each candidate moves backward a small step, this would help the whole party move forward a big step," Yu said.
But the New Tide faction, the largest of the DPP's factions and the one Chen Chu belongs to, responded negatively.
Former chief convener of the party's New Tide faction Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) yesterday afternoon held a news conference to question the identities of the "important people" Yu had mentioned. Tuan asked Yu to release their names, to prevent the Kaohsiung nomination from becoming the result of "secret chamber politics."
"Yu should be the judge in this game, but instead he has jumped into the game and tried to intervene in the outcome, which we think is not impartial at all," Tuan said.
Tuan urged the DPP to stick to its primary mechanism.
"If the DPP abandons its primary regulations, then I think it has lost a precious part of what it has earned," Tuan said.
Some other members of the DPP said that Yu was biased in favor of Yeh.
"I think the whole thing is because some people lack a democratic attitude," DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (
When asked about her reactions, Chen yesterday said that one of the reasons former DPP legislator Luo Wen-jia (
"Without a complete primary, Luo later had significant difficulties in winning recognition from local voters on the campaign trail, and the method was seen to have enraged the DPP's grassroots members," Chen Chu said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS