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.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)