The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday wrapped up legislative election nominee negotiations for one race in Taipei City, with KMT Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅) announcing her withdrawal from the primaries.
Chen said she decided to drop out of the race after a discussion with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, and KMT Secretary-General Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) about polls that show she has a lower support rating than KMT Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓).
Chou will seek re-election in the Shilin (士林) and Datong (大同) electoral district.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“Withdrawing from the race is a crucial decision to make,” she told a press conference at KMT headquarters. “The KMT cannot afford a split in the legislative and presidential elections and I will give the opportunity to Chou for the sake of party unity.”
Chen, who also serves as director of the KMT’s Women’s Affairs Committee, said she would focus her efforts on the presidential campaign, which is to start next month as the KMT plans to formally nominate Ma.
Director of the KMT’s Organization and Development Committee Huang Chao-yuan (黃昭元) thanked Chen for “taking the overall situation into consideration” and said the KMT was confident of Chou’s victory.
Of the other seven electoral districts in Taipei, Huang said the party would continue negotiations in Zhongshan (中山) and Songshan (松山) districts, as three hopefuls seek to represent the party — KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾), KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Taipei City Councilor Wang Hao (王浩).
The KMT said that it will complete the first phase of its nomination process on April 20 in 32 electoral districts that have only one registered contender, while the second and third phases of the nomination process will be completed on May 11 and May 25.
The KMT does not plan to hold primaries to choose candidates for the legislative elections, and will seek to complete all nominations via negotiation.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all