Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) yesterday defeated KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) by a margin of less than 1 percent in opinion polls for the party’s primary for November’s Taichung mayoral election.
In an average of three separate surveys, Lu received a support rate of 50.308 percent, while Chiang garnered 49.692 percent, KMT Organizational Development Committee director Lee Che-hua (李哲華) told reporters at the party’s headquarters in Taipei, following the unveiling of the results to the two candidate aspirants.
Asked whether the incredibly small margin could complicate the nomination process, Lee said that Lu and Chiang are mature politicians and that the nomination process would be carried out in accordance with a previous agreement.
Photo: Lee Chung-hsien, Taipei Times
“An agreement was made during a previous meeting of the party headquarters’ nomination negotiation committee, which was to make the nomination based on poll results,” Lee said.
As the party’s Taichung chapter is required to convene a meeting on the matter, the official nomination of Lu is expected to be passed and announced by the KMT Central Standing Committee after the Lunar New Year holiday next week, he said.
Days before the publication of the results, speculation emerged that Chiang was KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) preferred Taichung mayoral candidate, because Chiang’s father-in-law had lent the party NT$30 million (US$1.02 million) to assuage the party’s financial straits.
Born in Keelung in 1961, Lu is married to former Taichung city councilor Liao Shu-chia (廖述嘉). A journalist-turned-politician, she dipped her feet into politics in 1994 when she served on the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council and is currently serving her sixth term as a lawmaker, representing Taichung’s fifth electoral district.
“Winning the opinion polls is just one small step toward winning Taichung. The road ahead is extremely formidable, as the KMT, as an opposition party, does not enjoy as many resources,” Lu said.
However, Lu expressed her “strong confidence” in creating a miracle with the support of Taichung voters.
She also lauded Chiang for his democratic demeanor, saying that she planned to hire the rising star as her campaign director.
Chiang, who is serving his second term as a legislator, later yesterday told a news conference that he respected the results of the polls and that he would continue listening to public opinion in the hope of making Taichung a better place.
As for Lu’s job offer, Chiang said position did not matter, but pledged to help the KMT regain control of the six special municipalities.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS