The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday announced its list of nominees for next year’s local elections, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) being touted as a front-runner.
The DPP Central Standing Committee said after a meeting that special circumstances surrounding the party’s mayoral candidates might be resolved through a committee resolution.
Observers have said that the lack of a stipulation for the party’s candidate to be a DPP member indicates that it is preparing to support Ko for re-election.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) informed President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of his plans to run as the party’s candidate for Taipei mayor, later telling reporters that she responded with a “mysterious smile.”
He declined to comment on the meaning behind the president’s smile.
“Four year ago, Mayor Ko was still in the basement of the National Taiwan University Hospital. The real list of nominees will become available in the spring next year,” Yao said.
The DPP is being pragmatic and responsible, Yao said in an interview, but added that he plans to move forward with his bid to run for mayor.
The party is trying to remain flexible, he said, adding that it is still early in the electoral process.
Yao said he brought up his intention to run for Taipei mayor with Tsai at a funeral for a party member’s father.
Knowing that policy is important to the president, Yao said that he also shared with her his development ideas for the city’s revival, adding that legislative progress is being made on urban development through ordinances he is working on.
Asked if he would feel wronged if he is overlooked as the party’s candidate in favor of supporting a re-election bid by Ko, Yao said that after he is done with legislative efforts on urban development, he will strive to become the favored candidate.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai