A survey released on the eve of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) official telephone poll to pick its candidate for next year’s presidential election showed that its frontrunners had a very good chance of beating President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — but not necessarily each other.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily survey showed Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who took a leave of absence as DPP chairpedson to concentrate on the primaries, has a slight advantage over former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as the polls open, although both would win over Ma by double-digit figures.
The official DPP telephone polls, used to select the nominee for next year’s elections, start -tonight between 6:30pm and 10pm and will run until Wednesday at the earliest.
In the comparative survey, Tsai would take 50.05 percent against Ma’s 35.61 percent in the presidential election. The poll says Su would obtain 46.95 percent against Ma’s 34.30 percent.
Under the DPP’s official comparative poll regulations, when figures show more than one candidate winning against Ma, the contender with the highest support numbers takes the nomination, regardless of the margin.
Tsai, with a lead of more than 3 percent over Su, would take the nomination under DPP regulations.
Former DPP chaiman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), who has been trailing heavily since the primaries began last month, would lose to Ma by about 30 percent, with 17.15 percent against Ma’s 47.05 percent, the survey said.
Conducted between Thursday and Saturday, the numbers came after DPP candidates held their last of four policy sessions on Wednesday.
Neither Tsai nor Su offered breakthrough performances during the four events, which took place over a period of two weeks, observers said.
Polls have consistently showed the two neck-and-neck since both declared their candidacies last month.
“The televised sessions did not necessarily offer much for either Tsai or Su in terms of poll support,” said Niu Tse-hsun (鈕則勳), an associate professor that studies political marketing at Chinese Culture University. “What it comes down to is their performances in the final election rallies and whether they can attract the attention of undecided voters.”
Tsai and Su have ramped up their campaign events over the final “super weekend,” holding large rallies in Greater Kaohsiung and New Taipei City (新北市) in a last ditch effort to appeal to voters.
The two did not comment on the latest survey numbers, with DPP regulations preventing polls from being discussed since last Friday.
The winner is expected to be announced on Wednesday and confirmed on May 4.
The Apple Daily survey polled 1,068 voters nationwide by telephone, but did not give a margin of error.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
RSS