President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, will tour Taiwan early next year to thank voters for their support in the Dec. 5 local elections and stump for party candidates in the imminent legislative by-elections.
Ma will first visit Taoyuan, Taitung and Taichung counties, where legislative by-elections are to be held on Jan. 9, to drum up support for KMT candidates, Lee Chien-jung (李建榮), the head of the party’s Culture and Communications Committee, said after a KMT meeting on Monday hosted by KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰).
During his roadshow, which will continue until Feb. 21, Ma will meet KMT supporters at gatherings organized by the KMT in cities and counties around Taiwan, Lee said.
KMT legislative whip Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said at Monday’s meeting that the caucus would convene a delegation to campaign for KMT candidates in the by-elections, Lee said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Deputy Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) will organize election activities for Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞), who will represent the KMT in the Taitung County legislative by-election, Lee added. Kuang hopes to fill the seat vacated by Justin Huang (黃健庭), who resigned as legislator before being elected Taitung County commissioner on Dec. 5.
KMT honorary chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) will lend their support to Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲), the KMT’s candidate in Taoyuan County.
The seat was previously held by the party’s Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井), whose election was invalidated after he was convicted of vote-buying.
Meanwhile, local KMT grassroots leaders will give their support to Taiping Mayor Yu Wen-chin (余文欽), who will run in Taichung County for the seat previously held by the KMT’s Chiang Lien-fu (江連福), who was also convicted of vote-buying, Lee said.
King will organize and coordinate all campaign activities leading up to election day, Lee added.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
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