The Green Party Taiwan (GPT) announced yesterday that it has settled on five of its 10 candidates for January's legislative elections.
"We have confirmed five candidates out of the 10 we plan to nominate. We are still debating our legislator-at-large seats because these will provide the best positions from which to push environmental issues," GPT Secretary-General Pan Han-shen (
Pan will contest Taipei City's Songshan (松山) and Xinyi (信義) districts, Calvin Wen (溫炳原) Taipei County's Shulin (樹林) and Yingge (鶯歌), Mary Chen (陳曼麗) Taipei County's Yonghe (永和), Hung Hui-hsiang (洪輝祥) Pingtung and Chung Pao-chu (鍾寶珠) Hualien.
Pan said the party may yet decide to nominate Chung and Chen for legislator-at-large seats to maximise their participation in environmental debates.
He added that the party wants to push for government funding for minority representatives and for limits on campaign spending so that "the Legislative Yuan isn't dominated by well-connected and well-funded people."
The GPT hopes to raise at least NT$4 million (US$123,483) to support its election efforts.
Pan said he would push for the cancelation of the NT$200,000 election deposit required of each legislative candidate.
"Ten nominees will cost us NT$2 million -- just for the deposits. We urge like-minded people to support us in this," he said.
Pan said the GPT has three priorities: "To change the structure of Taiwan's economy and promote a low-carbon economy, to vote against the construction of the Suhua Freeway and to build a second forest park instead of a second dome complex on the site of the old Songshan Tobacco Factory."
"We are talking with several social movement groups about joining forces in the election. However, regardless of whether we find a partner or not, we will enter the election to make our voices heard," he said.
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