Despite the fact that 69 out of 160 serving legislators failed to retain their seats in the next legislature in Saturday's election, more than 80 percent of the 113-member new legislature will be made up of familiar faces.
Apart from the 69 lawmakers who failed in their re-election attempts, another 57 decided not to run, making a total of 126 lawmakers that will be departing the legislature.
However, since 91 serving legislators won re-election and three of the new legislators -- the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) and Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) -- have served as lawmakers at some point in the past, more than 80 percent of the new legislature will be comprised of "old faces."
Among those successfully re-elected, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Ching-chun (
Among the casualties were senior lawmakers from across party lines.
These included Tainan County KMT legislator Hung Yu-chin (洪玉欽), who had already served eight terms; the People First Party's Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) from Taichung City, who had served six terms; and five-timers Lee Sen-zong (李顯榮) and Chao Yung-ching (趙永清) of the DPP -- both of Taipei County -- and the KMT's Ho Jyh-huei (
The most senior DPP Legislator, six-time legislator Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌) also lost his seat because he was ranked fifteenth on the party's at-large list.
The DPP only secured 14 at-large seats. Four-time KMT Legislator Hsu Shu-po (
Most of the pan-green camp lawmakers who switched party affiliation ahead of the election lost, with legislators Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙), Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) and Ho Min-hao (何敏豪) -- who jumped ship from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) to the DPP -- all failing in their re-election bids.
Lee Sen-zong (
On the other hand, only one of the six People First Party (PFP) lawmakers who ran under the KMT banner, Ko Shu-min (
Among the 60 DPP lawmakers seeking re-election, 41 -- including 35 in the district elections and six on the at-large list -- failed. As for the PFP, two of its three lawmakers seeking re-election failed, while all three of the TSU's re-election seekers lost.
For the KMT, only 13 out of 81 lawmakers seeking re-election were unsuccessful.
All parties that failed to obtain 5 percent of votes cast -- all of them except for the KMT and DPP -- are unable to recommend candidates for presidential and vice presidential elections. additional reporting by maggie lu
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS