The People First Party (PFP) will release part of its list of legislative election candidates today, confirming that more than 10 candidates, including former independent legislator Li Ao (李敖), will run under its banner in the January.
PFP Taipei City Councilor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) and former PFP legislator Chen Chen-sheng (陳振盛) will also be on the 10-name list to be released today, party spokesman Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) said yesterday.
The 10 candidates will run in Taipei City, New Taipei City (新北市), Greater Taichung, Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung and Kinmen County, he said, adding that more names would be announced soon.
PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) will announce today’s list at a press conference, Wu said, adding that Soong would make up his mind about his own election bid after mapping out the party’s overall election strategy.
There has been speculation that the former Taiwan provincial governor might decide to enter the presidential or legislative elections, or add his name to the PFP’s legislators-at-large list.
The PFP’s decision to run its own candidates in January has deepened the rift in the pan-blue camp between the party and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Soong’s possible bid for the presidency has also been seen as a potential spoiler for Ma, who is facing a tight race against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
KMT spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) reiterated her party’s call for collaboration with the PFP in the legislative elections, and said the KMT would not give up on cooperation with the PFP.
“The two parties can continue negotiations on nominees and jointly nominate candidates who represent the pan-blue camp via a fair mechanism,” she said.
She said Ma had contacted Soong’s secretary last week to arrange a meeting, but the PFP chairman said through his secretary that the timing was not right and any meeting should be between the two parties’ secretaries-general.
The KMT has completed its legislative nomination process in 69 electoral districts and is scheduled to complete the process in the remaining six districts by the end of this month. It has proposed holding negotiations with the PFP on candidates in undecided districts via polls. However, the PFP has been reluctant to respond to the idea.
The PFP hopes to win at least 5 percent of the vote — the threshold for securing legislator-at-large seats — by nominating at least 15 candidates in the legislative elections.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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