The majority of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members feel that President Chen Shui-bian (
Yu, indicted by prosecutors on Friday -- along with Vice President Annette Lu (
Yu faxed a letter of resignation from Toronto, Canada, where he flew on Thursday to campaign for the party among Taiwanese expatriates. In the letter, Yu said he would keep a promise he made in March that he would resign as chairman if indicted.
Approached by reporters in Kaohsiung, Hsieh said DPP regulations allow for the president to assume the party's chairmanship if needed.
Organizing and holding a by-election at this point in time would be an unnecessary burden, given that Yu's term is almost finished, Hsieh said.
Yu was elected chairman in January, following the resignation of former chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) over the party's poor performance in local government elections on Dec. 3, 2005.
The DPP elects its chairman every four years, with the chairman's term ending at the same time as the term of the nation's president.
Although DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming on Saturday urged Chen Shui-bian to assume the chairmanship after Yu, DPP Culture and Information Department Director Super Meng (
In response to media inquiries, DPP caucus whip Wang Tuoh (
DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (
Chai said the party should urge Yu to stay and should not discuss choosing an acting chairman unless Yu insists on leaving.
In a related development, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma was indicted on Feb. 13 on corruption charges for wiring NT$11 million (US$330,000) from his special mayoral allowance to his private bank account during his eight years in office.
The District Court found Ma not guilty of embezzlement charges on Aug. 14, but prosecutors have decided to appeal his acquittal.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
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Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all