Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she already has a list of potential running mates to consider ahead of a November deadline.
“We already have a list of people to consider and I am pondering the issue,” Tsai told reporters during a campaign event in Taipei.
“It is not time to make a final decision yet, but I will have to decide before the deadline for [candidate] registration,” she said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The registration period for presidential candidates runs from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, according to the Central Election Commission.
Tsai declined to comment on speculation over who was on the list, saying that rumors might cause trouble for those named.
Asked if she would announce her running mate before September, Tsai said it would depend on how the situation develops.
Tsai announced her running mate for the 2012 presidential election in September 2011.
In other developments, Tsai rebutted criticism from Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘), who said that the DPP treated the TSU as a “follower” instead of a friend during negotiations over legislative candidates.
Chen said earlier in the week that, while dealing with other political parties, the DPP simply yields, but with the TSU, the DPP always makes a decision through opinion polls.
“Who said that?” Tsai asked. “The DPP holds the same attitude toward all [political allies], whether it is the TSU or others.”
“The idea is: When we can negotiate for a common candidate, we negotiate. If we can not, we make the decision through opinion polls,” she added.
The DPP has announced it will not nominate legislative candidates for several constituencies where the New Power Party, the Social Democratic Party, the TSU, and the People First Party have made nominations.
However, Chen’s daughter, Chen Hsi-yu (陳思宇), is to compete with DPP Taipei City Councilor Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) in a poll over the nomination for the legislative seat representing Taipei’s Shilin (士林) and Beitou (北投) districts.
Wu said that Chen Chien-ming’s criticism was unfair to Tsai, because the DPP wanted her to run because it believes she has a better chance of winning than another candidate.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
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
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS