The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday decided to stick to its usual timeline for nominating its presidential candidate even though distraught party members have urged the party to step up the pace.
At the meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee yesterday, 11 members, led by Lin Rong-te (林榮德), appealed to the party, which has yet to initiate its presidential nomination process, to move the process forward.
KMT spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) told reporters after the meeting that the proposal was not adopted by the committee as KMT Chairman and New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said that the party would continue the process at its own pace.
“Chairman Chu said that the party would not unveil its presidential candidate later than usual, which falls between April and the middle of June,” Lin Yi-hua said.
Lin Yi-hua said that Chu did sympathize with party members about their concern that the party is making a late start compared with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Although the DPP has already produced a presumptive presidential nominee, the DPP has not yet gone through its primary process either, Lin Yi-hua quoted Chu as saying.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is running in the party’s primary uncontested. She registered as a candidate on Feb. 14 and is to be nominated on April 15.
Earlier yesterday, Legislative Deputy Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) renewed efforts to urge KMT members interested in running for the presidency to declare their candidacy as soon as possible and hinted that she might throw her hat into the ring if no one announces their intention to run.
“At a time when there is a spirit of defeatism among party members, it is more necessary than ever for someone to step forward and put on a brave face,” Hung said during a radio interview.
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
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
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
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS