Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday gave the strongest hint yet about a possible re-election bid, paving the way for a potential three-way race in the party’s chairmanship election in May.
Su, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are all expected to enter the race, but so far only Hsieh has publicly announced his bid.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Yunlin Agriculture Expo in Yunlin County yesterday, Su said he would not be responsible for the seven-in-one elections in November as party chairman, but “I should be given an opportunity to fight for victory.”
Asked by reporters about the meaning of “opportunity” and if it meant that he would be seeking a second term in the chairmanship election, Su said: “Was I not being clear enough?”
Tsai, who is widely seen as the favorite to win the election, has reiterated that she is still weighing her decision.
“It’s only natural for an incumbent chairman to seek re-election,” Hsieh said yesterday, adding that the potentially intense election could provide a platform for the public and party members to examine candidates’ vision for the party and the country.
The DPP officially nominated a pair of candidates for the mayoral and commissioner elections — deputy secretary-general Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) in Keelung City and former legislator Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) in Penghu County — at the Central Executive Committee meeting in Yunlin County yesterday.
Lin ran in Keelung in the mayoral election in 2009 and the legislative election in 2012, both times losing to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate, while Chen also ran and lost in the Penghu commissioner election in 2005.
The DPP has completed nominations in 12 of 22 constituencies in the mayoral and commissioner elections.
Meanwhile, Su has invited all five aspirants in the party’s primary for the Taipei mayoral election to a meeting in the city tomorrow to resolve escalating disputes about the party’s possible “integration” with independent candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been leading all the pan-green camp hopefuls in support ratings and appears to have a good chance of winning the capital.
Wellington Koo (顧立雄), one of the five DPP aspirants, initiated a three-step proposal on Tuesday, calling for the DPP to complete its primary, which would be conducted in the form of a public opinion poll, by the end of next month, and organize three debates between the DPP primary winner and specific independent candidates before the final stage of another public opinion poll to determine the pan-green camp’s candidate.
However, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), also one of the DPP contenders, opposed the initiative, saying that the party should abide by its regulations and nominate its own candidate, as “the rules of the game” should not be swayed by one person.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
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