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.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS