Veteran activist Shih Ming-te (施明德) yesterday announced it would be impossible for him to reach the signature petition threshold necessary to be placed on the ballot as an independent presidential candidate, effectively ending his candidacy.
“After working hard for more than three months, I have to concede that there is no way I can get over the threshold through legitimate means,” Shih said. “I poured my heart and soul into achieving the 300,000-signature threshold. I apologize to everyone who was willing to provide me with copies of their national identification cards to support me — I have let you all down.”
The Central Election Commission requires that copies of national identification cards be provided for each signatory of a petition drive.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
An emotional Shih choked up as he called on the remaining presidential hopefuls to “take into consideration” his campaign pledges to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” move toward a Cabinet system of government and redistribute wealth, reiterating his belief that reconciliation between the pan-blue and pan-green political camps is the only way for the nation to move forward.
Shih said he wrote his announcement the previous night, with most staffers only learning of his decision yesterday morning.
“The Central Election Commission has many rules that are ‘over-the-top’ and prevent people who are younger, and lack money and party affiliation, from participating in public affairs,” he said, while refusing to comment on what specific reforms he would recommend.
Shih had previously said the presidential ballot signature threshold was unfair to independent candidates, criticizing rules that he said would force him to declare a running mate months before candidates from major parties.
Regulations would have required Shih to declare a running mate as part of the official registration process, which is to begin this week.
Throughout his remarks, he never used the word “withdraw” to describe his decision, saying in response to questions that he did not have the “standing” to “withdraw” because he had not officially registered.
“People would have nitpicked that the signatures I have already gathered are outside the scope of the law,” he said, when asked how far he was from reaching the signature petition threshold.
He said that only signatures collected within 45 days of official registration can legally count toward meeting the petition threshold.
Shih had previously been quoted by the media as saying that he had already collected more than 100,000 signatures.
He refused to comment on whether he would support another presidential candidate.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS