The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidates for Nantou, Miaoli, Lienchiang and Changhua counties for next year’s local elections were confirmed at a Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday, the party said.
Candidates for other cities and counties would be determined by support ratings if an agreement could not be reached between people who want to run in the same county, KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said.
The committee tapped Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱), Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌), Lienchiang County Commissioner Liu Tseng-ying (劉增應) as candidates seeking a second term in office, while KMT Legislator Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) won the party primary to run for Changhua County commissioner, KMT spokesman Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪) said.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
Wang had topped popular support charts in general polls against Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽) Mayor Yang Fu-ti (楊福地) and party member Wu Ming-che (吳明哲), a physician, Huang said.
Wang is to run against Democratic Progressive Party Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷), who is seeking a second term, Huang added.
The KMT said it would hold primaries to determine its candidates for the Hsinchu City and New Taipei City mayoral races.
The KMT Hsinchu party branch said it would open the roster for registration on Jan. 2 and hopes to name a candidate by Feb. 7.
The two strongest potential contenders for New Taipei City mayor are former Taipei County commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) and New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou Yu-yi (侯友宜), the party said.
The KMT New Taipei City party branch Director Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) said polls would be conducted after Jan. 1 and the party hopes to have a confirmed candidate for the municipality by Feb. 5.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) announced that he would be registering for the party primary for Taitung County commissioner.
The announcement would set Sufin Siluko against KMT Taitung County Council Deputy Speaker Rao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴), the party said.
Sufin Siluko said he hopes the party would hold party member votes, in-party polls on popularity and general polls for popular support simultaneously to determine its candidate for Taitung commissioner.
Sufin Siluko confirmed that former Taitung County commissioner Wu Chun-li (吳俊立) and Taitung County Commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) three months ago suggested that he should consider running for county commissioner.
Sufin Siluko said he had turned down such offers, as he was the head of the Legislative Yuan’s KMT caucus during the past two years, but added that his departure from the position in June allowed him time to consider such suggestions.
Additional reporting by Huang Ming-tang
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS