The Minkuotang (MKT), or the Republic Party, yesterday announced its initial slate of district candidates for January’s legislative elections.
MKT Chairperson Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) said she would seek re-election for her Hsinchu County seat, while three other candidates would contest districts in Miaoli County, Taipei and New Taipei City.
The Legislative Yuan is seen as a “madhouse” marked by “scorched earth” political conflict, causing both idleness and exhaustion on the part of lawmakers, Hsu said.
It needs more high-quality legislators because it lacks efficiency in passing legislation, passing an average of only 100 bills a year, she said.
Hsu — who won the most votes of any district legislator in the 2012 legislative elections — faces Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) and independent candidate Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金), who is backed by the DPP, in the January polls.
Former independent Miaoli County legislator Kang Shih-ju (康世儒) is trying to win back the seat from the incumbent, KMT Legislator Chen Chao-ming (陳超明), and also faces former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Tou Wen-ching (杜文卿).
Wu Hsu-chih (吳旭智) will run in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) against incumbent KMT Legislator Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) and Social Democratic Party candidate Fan Yun (范雲).
Chang Ching-fang (張菁芳) faces off in New Taipei City’s Yonghe/Jhonghe (永和/中和) electoral district against KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) and Taiwan Solidary Union (TSU) at-large Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安).
Questioned about Chang and Wu’s lack of political experience, Hsu said that all politicians were once “political novices.”
When asked why all four districts where the MKT is running candidates are “pan-blue” strongholds, she said that candidates had been nominated after they expressed a willingness to stand for election, with no deliberate effort to pick districts, Hsu said.
The party plans to announce more district candidacies next week and its list of at-large candidates later on, she said.
The party has to field at least 10 district candidates to be eligible to win an at-large seat.
Hsu avoided questions about which presidential candidate she would support, saying the party is urging its members to vote for whomever they believe would make the nation prosperous and strong.
There was substantial room for future cooperation with other parties, she said.
Hsu founded the MKT in March after withdrawing from the KMT. She said at the time that Taiwan needed more choices than just the “blue and green” — referring to the KMT, the DPP and their allies.
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