Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Justin Huang (黃健庭) resigned yesterday to run in the upcoming Taitung County commissioner election, making him the seventh lawmaker in the current legislature to fail to complete his legislative term.
Huang told a press conference that he became fully dedicated to the election after voters in Taitung questioned why he continued to serve as a lawmaker while eyeing the election.
Huang said he hoped to fight a clean battle with his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival. The DPP nominated Liu Ti-hao (劉櫂豪) for the Jan. 21 election. Huang also dismissed media speculation that he tendered his resignation because he had made an under-the-table deal with KMT headquarters.
Local media speculated that the KMT had said it would nominate Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) for the legislative by-election after Huang resigned to run for the commissioner election.
On Friday, Kuang announced that she was giving up her reelection bid and wished Huang success.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he did not know if there was any deal between Huang, Kuang and the KMT.
Despite Huang’s resignation, KMT legislators Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) and Wong Chung-chun (翁重鈞), who will both run in the year-end city and county elections, said they would not follow suit.
At a separate setting yesterday, KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) denied that Huang resigned in exchange for the nomination of former Taitung County commissioner Wu Chun-li (吳俊立) in the by-election to fill his seat.
“Huang made the decision to show his determination to serve Taitung residents and the party will make every effort to campaign for him and help him win the election,” Chan said.
Chan said the party never encouraged candidates of local government head elections to resign as legislators.
KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) said the party respected Huang’s decision and denied that the party had persuaded him to quit.
“It is Huang’s decision to resign and it doesn’t represent the KMT’s position,” Lee said.
The KMT will start the primary process for the Taitung legislative by-election after the Taitung County Election Commission determines the date for the by-election, Lee said.
Wu Chun-li said he had no immediate plan to run in the by-election.
Asked whether his ex-wife, incumbent Taitung County Commissioner Kuang, was interested in joining the by-election, Wu Chun-li said he did not know.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor
RSS