The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has designated five party heavyweights to be in charge of negotiations for party primaries of hotly contested constituencies in the commissioner and mayoral elections next year.
According to the party’s Central Standing Committee resolution on Aug. 14, the DPP headquarters is to oversee negotiations in constituencies with two or more aspirant candidates if private discussions between them fail to achieve a result.
With an eye to finalizing the nominations as soon as possible, the committee has decided to establish the coordination platform in five constituencies, with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in charge of negotiations in Pingtung County, where incumbent DPP lawmakers Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) are vying for nomination, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said yesterday.
Former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was tasked with settling one of the fiercest competitions in Changhua County, where five DPP members have expressed an interest in winning the DPP nomination, including incumbent lawmaker Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷); former Changhua County commissioner Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠); former legislators Chiang Chao-yi (江昭儀) and Chen Chin-ting (陳進丁); and Changhua City Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (邱建富).
DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) was appointed to coordinate negotiations between three aspirant candidates — a pair of lawmakers, Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), and former presidential running mate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), in Greater Taichung.
In Nantou County, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) will have to convince two of three candidates — Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) and two former lawmakers, Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) and Tang Huo-shen (湯火聖) — to drop out of the race.
Former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) has been assigned to conduct negotiations between four aspirant candidates in Yunlin County — legislators Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) and Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), former Keelung mayor Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) and former county councilor Lin Shin-ting (林新丁).
No deadline has been set for the negotiations, but the five heavyweights are to report their progress to the party on a weekly basis. If all attempts at negotiations fail, public opinion polls will be held to determine the final candidates, Lin said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album