People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) and his running mate, Republican Party Chairperson Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), yesterday registered their candidacy with the Central Election Commission.
Flanked by hundreds of supporters chanting “Soong-Ying ticket to win” and waving both parties’ flags, Soong and Hsu addressed the crowd in front of the commission before entering the building to complete the registration.
“Today marks a special day for Taiwanese, who have voiced their desire for another change of government in the nation,” Soong said.
Soong said he and Hsu might be from different generations, but they represent the same hope — that future generations of Taiwanese be allowed to forever enjoy freedom and democracy.
The presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16 are not only to elect the next Taiwanese leader, but also to establish a mechanism that ensures the legislature truly represents the voice of the people, Soong said.
“Both the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have gained majorities in the Legislative Yuan, but when they did, they put aside people’s expectations of them and placed their parties’ interests above everything else,” Soong said. “The legislature should serve as a voice of the people, rather than a tool that can be monopolized by political parties and deep-pocketed corporations.”
Hsu, an incumbent legislator, said she and Soong have set a precedent for cooperation across party lines.
“Not only that, our cooperation also transcends barriers of generation, gender and ethnicity,” Hsu said. “Soong is a former Taiwan provincial governor experienced in governance and I myself am a popularly elected public representative. Together, we will strive for another economic miracle, social stability, political reform and peaceful cross-strait development.”
Soong and Hsu are the first presidential and vice presidential candidates to complete the registration process since the commission began accepting applications on Monday. The other candidates have until Friday to register.
KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) and his running mate, former Council of Labor Affairs minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄), are reportedly to register their candidacy at 9:15am today.
DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her running mate, former Academia Sinica vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), are expected to complete the procedure on Friday.
The candidates are scheduled to draw lots to determine their numerical designations on Dec. 14.
There are three televised policy presentations for presidential candidates planned on Dec. 25, Dec. 30 and Jan. 8, while the first and only policy presentation by vice presidential candidates is set to be held on Jan. 4.
Separately yesterday, the PFP released the party’s list of 16 legislator-at-large candidates, with incumbent PFP Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) topping the list.
Lee is followed by PFP Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔), National Women’s League of the Republic of China chairperson Chen Hsiu-hsia (陳秀霞), Internet Gazette Law Paper president Huang Yueh-hung (黃越宏) and National Township and Borough Chiefs Social Club deputy director Yang Tzu-tsung (楊紫宗).
The PFP claimed two of the 34 legislator-at-large seats in the 2012 legislative elections.
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