Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) was re-elected yesterday as party caucus chief executive, while DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) replaced Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) as caucus secretary-general.
Wu garnered 38 votes to defeat his rival, DPP Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄), who received 25.
Chen renounced her candidacy ahead of the vote, leaving Liu to beat DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) 40 to 25.
The DPP caucus leadership election was held after negotiations failed to produce a consensus on who would assume the two posts.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) originally signed up for the caucus chief executive race, but later withdrew.
DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書), who were runing for caucus secretary-general, also dropped out of the race.
The positions are traditionally decided through negotiations, but the competition for caucus leadership escalated to an election, as the positions are considered a stepping stone for the mayoral elections in 2018.
Wu and Gao are widely believed to be eyeing the New Taipei City mayorship, while Chen Ting-fei and Liu are said to be interested in Tainan and Kaohsiung respectively.
The race also reflected competition amongst the party’s different groups, with Wu representing former DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) group, Chuang representing Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Liu the New Tide group.
Chuang set a precedent by making a campaign leaflet to canvas votes for the first time in caucus leadership elections.
Some political observers viewed his candidacy as a move by Hsieh’s group to regain influence in the legislature, as the group suffered a major defeat in the DPP’s national congress in July with zero seats in the Central Standing Committee.
Yesterday’s vote has also sparked speculation that it might pave the way for a caucus whip election next year.
Media reports said that DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) could challenge DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), whose term expires next year.
After a caucus general assembly in the morning that failed to prevent the vote, Ker called for party solidarity regardless of the election results.
Wu disputed claims that the election reflected conflict between different “factions,” saying if there was factionalism, his group has few members, but he was nevertheless elected.
Wu reiterated the need for solidarity and sportsmanship, saying he would continue his role of smoothing communication between the Cabinet and the DPP caucus.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
RSS