The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) unveiled its legislator-at-large line-up yesterday, revealing that three contenders who have been labeled and boycotted by a group of deep-green supporters as "DPP bandits" are no longer shoo-ins for the seats.
The list for the year-end legislative elections was announced after the party worked out each candidate's score, calculated by weighting the results of the May 6 party member vote at 40 percent and the results of a public poll conducted between Monday and Wednesday at 60 percent.
Former Council of Hakka Affairs chairman Lo Wen-chia (
The DPP is expected to secure 12 legislator-at-large seats. Because the Constitution stipulates that no less than half of legislator-at-large seats must go to women, and a DPP regulation stipulates that a commission led by the party chairman may select one-third of the candidates, the three may not secure seats.
Hong, a leader of the party's disbanded New Tide faction, said he "accepted" the results, but added that the results were a reflection of the party's adoption of a polling system that had excluded "blue" supporters and swing voters.
"Failing once doesn't mean failing forever," Hong said in response to a question about the relatively poor performance of many members of the once-influential faction in the primary.
Hong said that if the party enlisted him, he would like to run for the DPP in districts that are pan-blue strongholds where no other party members are interested in campaigning.
Hong, Shen and Lo were among those labeled the "11 bandits of the DPP" in a campaign launched by deep-green grassroots supporters who called on DPP members to boycott them in the primary because they had openly criticized the party.
The support rate for Lo was 11.75 percent in the public poll, the top score, but he failed to place among the first four on the list as he garnered only 3.24 percent of party member vote.
Lo, who was one of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) proteges, drew ire from some DPP supporters last December after he criticized Chen and the party's handling of corruption allegations involving the first family.
Shen said the line-up was not surprising.
"Actually the line-up was exactly what the party leaders wanted, as the exclusionary polling system was sure to bring about this result," he said. "People who are courageous enough for self-reflection and who have openly criticized the party are all out."
The first four male nominees on the DPP's legislators-at-large list are DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (
On the party's list of female candidates, Council of Hakka Affairs Vice Minister Chiu Yi-ying (
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS