Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Wu Cheng-tien (吳成典) yesterday ignored possible disciplinary action from the KMT and established campaign headquarters to announce his candidacy in the year-end Kinmen County commissioner election.
Wu lost the party primary to Kinmen County Councilor Li Wo-shi (李沃士) earlier this year. The KMT nominated Li in June.
Announcing his bid as an independent, Wu said the KMT’s primary process did not proceed in a fair manner, adding that he would seek to serve Kinmen residents on his own effort.
“I will accept the punishment given according to the KMT regulations, and I will fight a rational and decent battle to seek local voters’ recognition,” Li said.
Li’s announcement created another pan-blue split for the KMT in local government elections scheduled for Dec. 5, with the party scrambling to handle splits in Hualien, Taoyuan, Taitung and Hsinchu.
To prevent another split in Taoyuan County, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and party secretary-general Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) yesterday visited Taoyuan County Council Speaker Tseng Chun-yi (曾忠義) to seek his support for the election.
Tseng was defeated by Wu Poh-hsiung’s son, KMT Legislator John Wu (吳志揚), in the party primary.
Tseng declined to confirm whether he would give up his bid and said he would make a decision in a few days.
As for the Yunlin County commissioner election, Chan said the party would hold a poll among four hopefuls and present the result to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Ma, who is taking over the party chairmanship on Oct. 17, will finalize the candidate before the deadline for candidate registration on Friday, Wu Poh-hsiung said.
In Taitung County, the KMT nominated Legislator Justin Huang (黃健庭) in a primary in May, but Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-cheng (鄺麗貞) said she would not be discouraged from running for re-election.
In Hsinchu County, Council Speaker Chang Pi-chin (張碧琴) has announced plans to run for the commissionership although the party has nominated KMT Legislator Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳).
In Hualien County, Hualien County Deputy Commissioner Chang Chi-ming (張志明) withdrew from the party to run in the election as an independent against the party’s nominee Tu Li-hua (杜麗華).
Chan said he would soon visit Hualien County Commissioner Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), who is reportedly supporting Chang Chi-ming, to seek party integration in the county.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
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