The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday held its first-ever direct election of local branch directors in 10 cities and counties, a poll that many believe will have a direct impact on the KMT’s strategic planning for next year’s elections for special municipality mayors and city and county councilors.
The KMT poll was held after the party passed an amendment to its charter during its congress in September last year to allow members to directly vote for the heads of their local branches.
Such positions were traditionally filled by party chairpersons, but the KMT’s defeat in last year’s presidential and legislative elections prompted many KMT members to call for internal reforms.
Photo: CNA
The results of the poll, which were revealed after 4pm, appear to reflect KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) leadership and his preparations for next year’s elections.
One of the most contested branch leader posts was in Taipei, where former Taipei Department of Civil Affairs commissioner Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹) ran against Taipei City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平).
Prior to the election, Huang Lu filed a lawsuit against Chung for what she called his unfounded allegations that she had tried to bribe voters. Chung filed a countersuit for false charges.
After Huang Lu was informally declared the winner, by 1,011 ballots, Chung withdrew his charges.
Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) appears to have won in Tainan, Hualien County Medical Association director Chou Yung-hung (鄒永宏) won in Hualien, Taitung County Councilor Wu Hsiu-hua (吳秀華) won in that county and former KMT legislator Tsao Erh-chang (曹爾忠) won in Lienchiang County.
Five races had only a single candidate, including the former mayor of then-Taipei County’s Sanchong City (三重) Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) in New Taipei City; Hsinchu County Councilor deputy speaker Chen Chien-hsien (陳見賢) in that county, and the incumbent branch directors in Taoyuan, Pingtung County and Kinmen County: Yang Ming-sheng (楊敏盛), Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) and Lin Fang-hsuan (林芳旋).
The list of winning candidates will be formally announced after it is reviewed by the KMT’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday, the party said.
Taipei saw the lowest turnout rate among the KMT’s 10 administrative areas, with just 19.09 percent, while Kinmen had the highest voting rate at 64.9 percent.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was accompanied by Huang Lu when he cast his ballot at Nanmen Elementary School in Taipei, but he did not speak to reporters.
Wu also cast his ballot at the school, saying the competition overall was intense, but he hoped to see “fair play.”
After polling closed and the provisional winners were announced, Wu said that he hopes the new directors will be faithful to the party, help collect grassroots opinion and unify local supporters.
He said he would not ask the new directors not to enter next year’s municipal elections because they can each weigh their own options.
The newly elected branch directors are to be sworn in on Wednesday next week.
A Hualien pomelo farmer refused to sell to China after the country announced it would permit more Taiwanese pomelo imports, prompting widespread support from Taiwanese consumers, who rallied to buy his fruit. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said that China’s General Administration of Customs registered an additional 79 Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing facilities in Hualien County, allowing more Taiwanese producers to export pomelos to China. “I am a Hualien fruit farmer and I refuse to sell to China,” Liu Tzu-hao (劉子豪) from Ruisui Township (瑞穗) said in an online post. Liu is a well-known farmer in the community and has served
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits. Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol and rescue vessel would be given to the Philippine Coast Guard. The donation ceremony was reportedly done in Manila, but whether the vessel — previously numbered “CG123” and named Kinmen (金門) — has been handed over has yet to be confirmed. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday criticized the donation for “taking
UPDATE: The submarine would need to undergo combined systems testing and crew training for navy personnel before it is ready for mission, an expert said Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, the Hai Kun (Narwhal, 海鯤), could be delivered to the navy as early as next month, military expert and Taiwan Association for Security and Development chairman Chi Tung-yun (紀東昀) said yesterday. The submarine was yesterday morning observed departing for its 21st sea trial and its 15th submerged test. The vessel missed the initial delivery deadline of November last year due to “testing delays,” its primary contractor, shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan, said in June. The contractor also cited “political pressure from China” in procuring critical equipment. All testing operations are in the final stages, with the
Six NT$10 million (US$315,527) special prizes and seven NT$2 million grand prizes in Taiwan's May-June uniform invoice lottery remained unclaimed as of today, including one NT$10 million winner who spent only NT$10 on an Uber Eats delivery order, the Ministry of Finance said. The ministry said the 13 winners need to claim their prizes by Nov. 5. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize for May-June was 38548029, with 18 winning receipts in total. The NT$2 million grand prize number was 10138845, of which there were 22 winning receipts, the ministry said. In addition to the receipt issued for an
RSS