Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday declared his candidacy for a legislative seat in Keelung, ending speculation that he was planning to run in a legislative district where the party usually struggles.
Hau said he decided to enter the election in Keelung as part of the KMT’s strategy to “maximize the number of seats” the party can win in elections to be held on Jan. 16 for the ninth legislature.
Tasked with overseeing the party’s legislative nominations, Hau said he would do everything he could “to boost the party’s morale” when he was asked to comment on KMT Vice Chairperson Huang Min-hui’s (黃敏惠) apparent hesitancy to run for a legislative seat in Chiayi City — where she served as mayor for eight years.
The KMT faces a very tough battle to preserve its majority in the upcoming elections, Hau said, adding that “unity is the only way to secure victory.”
“I would never refuse or fear to go into battle for the good of the KMT,” Hau said.
Hau was previously said to have been considering making a legislative bid for a seat in Kaohsiung, Tainan or Taichung.
The decision to run in Keelung was made after a discussion with KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Hau said.
Keelung was traditionally a pan-blue camp stronghold, but the mayoral election in November last year was won by Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as allegations of corruption involving former Keelung city council speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) led to a split in votes for the pan-blue camp.
Hau is to be joined in the race for a legislative seat in Keelung by 43-year-old Keelung City Councilor Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) of the DPP and People First Party candidate Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), who has represented the city for three terms.
Liu said it is strange that Hau has decided to run in a legislative election when he could rather have run for president.
“Could the KMT not find anyone from Keelung to run?” Tsai said.
Keelung Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) of the KMT said in February that he would not seek re-election, citing the party’s thrashing in the nine-in-one elections in November last year.
At least five KMT members have said they are interested in running for the seat, including Hsieh Li-kung, Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥), son of former Keelung mayor Lin Shui-mu (林水木), and Legislator-at-large Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍), among others.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS