The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would launch an investigation into a legislative primary dispute between KMT legislators John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) after Chiang accused Lo of winning a poll yesterday using smear tactics.
In the poll held by the KMT’s Taipei City branch on Friday and Saturday to finalize the legislative candidate for the Zhongshan (中山)-Songshan (松山) electoral district, Lo barely bested her opponent with 35.97 percent support, against Chiang’s 35.39 percent.
After the final results were announced, Chiang issued a protest and blamed Lo for his loss in the poll, calling on the KMT to look into what he called “vicious attacks” against him from Lo’s camp.
“The smear campaign by the Lo camp is a violation of party regulations and the poll results were distorted because of the vicious attacks against me,” Chiang said in a written statement. “I have reported her violations to the party and await an investigation to be launched.”
Lo defended her victory, saying she would spare no efforts to win the seat for the KMT.
“A victory is a victory, even if it is only by one vote. The KMT needs a candidate who has passion and is capable. I will not disappoint President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the KMT if the party nominates me,” she said.
KMT Taipei City branch director Pan Chia-sen (潘家森) said the branch would start an investigation into the dispute and present the results to the KMT’s nomination committee for a final decision on the matter.
The KMT completed its first round of nominations for legislative election last week. It is scheduled to complete the second and third phases of the nomination process on May 11 and May 25.
Pan said the party would not base its selections solely on poll results and would continue negotiation to finalize the list.
After weeks of speculation on a possible merger of the presidential and legislative elections — a move supported by the KMT — the Central Election Commission last week announced the two elections would be held simultaneously on Jan. 14 next year. Following the announcement, Democratic Progressive Party legislators, fearing the move would create a four-month lame-duck presidency before the next -president steps into the -Presidential Office on May 20, proposed a constitutional amendment and said the merger should be postponed until the 2016 elections.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS