The Green Party-Social Democratic Party (SDP) Alliance yesterday announced its final list of six at-large legislative candidates.
Heading the list are veteran labor activist Chang Li-fun (張麗芬) and Green Party Taiwan co-convener Lee Ken-cheng (李根政), followed by lawyer and environmental activist Thomas Chan (詹順貴), Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare secretary-general Yeh Da-hua (葉大華), architect and social activist Hsieh Ying-chun (謝英俊) and Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights president Victoria Hsu (許秀雯).
The candidates and the electoral order were determined by a 15-member joint committee, with eight fielded by the Green Party and seven by the SDP.
The two parties last month announced an electoral alliance to pool their votes, aiming to reach a 5 percent voter threshold to be allotted at-large legislative seats.
The alliance also announced that they would establish campaign offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
“In 2012, our main candidates were all in Taipei ... and there was no way to determine who we could organize and mobilize,” Lee said. “This year is different because each of the [at-large] candidates has an organizational foundation, which they can use to mobilize votes.”
He added that the party believes that current poll figures underestimate the alliance’s level of support because it could attract undecided voters, many of who are discontent with the major political parties.
Party candidates have positioned themselves as representing the true political “third force,” criticizing rival New Power Party (NPP) for cooperating with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“We will serve as a power to help turn society toward justice and sustainable development,” Chan said.
“A political party that draws close to the DPP might not be able to serve as a true centrist counter to the DPP when it governs,” he added.
The Green Party and SDP negotiated their alliance after merger talks with the NPP broke down. The alliance continues to lag behind the NPP in most polls.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai