The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) announced its 10-member legislators-at-large list yesterday and said it hoped to surpass the 5 percent threshold for a legislator-at-large seat and win at least two seats in the January legislative elections.
Hsu Chun-hsin (許忠信), an economics professor, and Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲), a lawyer, were the top two candidates on the list that includes five male and five female candidates, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told a press conference.
“We are very confident that we can win more than 5 percent of the party votes and win at least two legislative seats,” said Huang Kun-huei, who was placed third on the list.
A more ambitious goal would be winning three seats, a minimum requirement for a party to establish a caucus in the legislature, Huang said.
Based on turnout rates in the last legislative elections, the TSU will need between 500,000 and 600,000 party votes, he said, adding that it would take another 160,000 votes to win an extra seat.
The TSU would implement an innovative way to maximize its influence in the legislature if it won a pair of seats by splitting the four-year term so the party would have four members serving two years each as legislators, Huang Kun-huei said.
The TSU chairman reiterated that the party is urging its supporters to vote for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the presidential election and DPP legislative candidates in local districts.
The TSU is focusing on garnering party votes and so it did not nominate candidates to run for the nation’s 73 direct legislative seats.
The TSU is the second party to unveil its legislators-at-large list after the DPP. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party are expected to announce their lists later.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)