The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters yesterday shrugged off proposals by two candidates in the party’s May chairperson election to revise the 3 percent signature threshold for hopefuls, saying that the ideas would not be deliberated until the party’s national congress in August.
According to statistics compiled by the KMT, the party had about 890,000 members as of Friday last week, of whom 230,000 had voting rights in the May 20 election.
Estimates say that the number would increase to 300,000 before March 31, the deadline by which candidates have to obtain signatures from at least 3 percent of all eligible party members.
That means each hopeful has to obtain about 9,000 signatures to validate their bid.
KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), both of whom have thrown their hats into the ring, have called for revision or removal of the signature requirement.
There are already far too many requirements to qualify as a candidate, such as experience as a member of the KMT’s Central Committee and a hefty security deposit, Hau said on Monday, adding that the party leadership should revoke unnecessary rules such as the signature threshold.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director Hu Wen-chi (胡文琦) yesterday said that KMT headquarters respects each candidate’s opinion about the signature threshold, but they should nevertheless “follow the rules of the game.”
“According to the party’s regulations for chairperson elections, every candidate must meet the 3 percent signature threshold,” Hu said, adding that KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) is also subject to the requirement.
If any hopeful sees a need for revision of the requirement, KMT headquarters can consider the proposal at the party’s next national congress, scheduled for Aug. 20, Hu said.
However, even if a change is made, it would not take effect until after the election on May 20, Hu said, adding that the election would have to adhere to the current rules.
Hu dismissed Hau’s concerns that some candidates might collect signatures from party members who have already signed for another to sabotage a rival’s bid.
Hu said that the party is discussing adjustments to the signature collection procedure to eliminate the effectiveness of such tactics.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS