The Central Election Commission earlier this week published the schedule and rules governing the nationwide local elections on Nov. 29, the biggest in Taiwan’s history in terms of the number of representative posts up for election.
A record-high 11,130 public servants are to be chosen for nine categories of elected offices in what is being called the “nine-in-one” elections, which are to accept official candidate registrations from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 ahead of the Nov. 29 vote, the commission said.
Voters are to elect mayors of five special municipalities; commissioners and mayors of 16 counties and provincial cities; 907 municipal, county and city councilors; 204 mayors of townships, county-controlled cities and Aboriginal districts; 2,146 councilors for township, county-controlled city and Aboriginal district councils; and 7,851 wardens of villages and boroughs.
Eligible voters are required to bring their identity card, personal chop and voting notice to the polling station.
Commission Vice Chairman Liu Yi-chou (劉義周) told a press briefing that voters are not allowed to bring mobile phones to polling stations and violators would be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
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