The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) will recruit young people for its lineup of legislators-at-large for next year’s legislative election, TSU Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) said.
“The challenge is steep, but we will not lose our will to fight,” Lin said on Thursday.
Lin said that the campaign next year promised to be tough because of the rise of the so-called “third political force.”
Therefore, the TSU will target the youth vote by recruiting young activists from the recent student movements, with the goal of capturing four seats for its legislators-at-large and contributing to a pan-green majority in the legislature.
In Taiwan’s single-district, two-votes system, a voter casts one vote to elect a district legislator and another to apportion a party’s share of seats for legislators-at-large. A political party needs to receive at least 5 percent of the total party votes to be apportioned any legislators-at-large seats.
In 2012, the TSU won 8.96 percent of the party vote, capturing three legislators-at-large seats.
However, a poll released by Cross-Strait Policy Association on Monday put support for the TSU in next year’s legislative elections at only 1.8 percent, substantially lower than the 5 percent threshold.
The same poll showed the New Power Party (NPP), a newcomer to this election, outcompeting the TSU by commanding 5.6 percent.
Lin said that aggressive campaigning by the NPP poses a serious challenge to TSU, but that the party had fought on the same side as the NPP previously.
“We are all friends. We bless their efforts and bear no animosity toward them,” he said.
Lin said that the TSU respects polling and survey research groups, but will not be discouraged by the polling results.
He said that the TSU had polled badly in previous elections, but was vindicated each time when the votes were counted, adding that there is still a long time until the election next year and the situation is too fluid for any predictions to be authoritative.
Lin said the TSU would continue to put Taiwan’s sovereignty at the front and center of its platform and solidify the party’s hold on its base.
Lin said that young activists from the Sunflower movement would comprise about half of TSU’s lineup for legislators-at-large, with a list to be announced as soon as late next month.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS