The results of Saturday’s nine-in-one elections represented a failure of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), not a victory for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said on Sunday.
The KMT must not misread the situation and must continue to reform itself to win back votes from the DPP, Ko said.
The KMT won mayoral races in 15 counties and cities, up from six, while the DPP won only six, down from 13.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Key KMT candidates, including Kaohsiung mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and New Taipei City mayor-elect Hou You-yi (侯友宜), are different from typical KMT politicians, Ko said, adding that the two relied on their unique personalities.
“The outcome shows that people do not like the DPP, but that does not necessarily mean they like the KMT. This is something the party must realize,” she said.
KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the biggest reason for the DPP’s losses was a change in public sentiment.
All of the DPP’s actions since the party took office helped the campaigns of KMT candidates, Wang said.
KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said that voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the DPP, but not necessarily their approval of the KMT.
The KMT must urgently get to work turning dissatisfied DPP supporters into KMT supporters before the 2020 presidential election, Lin said.
The KMT must reform and should learn from Han’s campaign success, which would include better engagement with voters online and more emphasis on the charisma of individual candidates, he said, adding that the party could not rely on its traditional organizational strategies.
A source within the KMT who asked to remain anonymous said that there was hope that older members would soon retire.
However, the party’s successes on Saturday means that older members would probably join the 2020 elections rather than retire, the source said.
The boost in morale that Han has given party members means there will likely be an explosion in the number of KMT members who want to enter the party’s 2020 nomination process, the source said, adding that the party would be obligated ensure a fair competition.
ALARM GROWS: US officials are concerned that China’s claim that the Taiwan Strait is an internal waterway is a deliberate effort to muddy the legal status of Taiwan US President Joe Biden’s administration has decided to reject a vague new assertion by China that the Taiwan Strait is not “international waters” and is increasingly concerned the stance could result in more frequent challenges at sea for Taiwan, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese officials have made such remarks repeatedly in meetings with US counterparts over the past few months. In the past, while China regularly protested US military moves in the Taiwan Strait, the legal status of the waters was not a regular talking point in meetings with US officials. The timing of the assertion is causing alarm within the
‘HIDDEN GEM’: The city earned plaudits for its low crime rate, world-class healthcare system, cheap cost of living and easy public transportation Taipei has been named the 10th best city in the world for quality of living in an annual survey by the editors of Monocle, a UK-based global affairs and lifestyle magazine. The survey, which is to be published in the magazine’s July/August issue, selected the world’s top 25 cities based on factors including cost of living, retail, hospitality, culture and access to green spaces, as well as feedback from Monocle correspondents. Taipei’s 10th place finish was one place down from a year earlier. The survey ranked Copenhagen as the world’s best city, with Zurich, Lisbon, Helsinki and Stockholm rounding out the top five.
NO COMORBIDITIES: The girl died of encephalitis, the sixth COVID-19-related death of the disease this year and 19th death of a child from the virus, the center said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 52,213 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 171 deaths from the virus, including a four-year-old girl, who had been diagnosed with encephalitis, and a 19-year-old man, who had underlying health conditions. “The caseloads are usually higher on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they [yesterday] fell 7.3 percent from the day before,” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. Chuang, who is the CECC’s spokesman, said that most cities and counties reported a drop in new cases, and the CECC expects fewer than 50,000 new cases today. The center said that 150 of
LIMIT: The CECC has capped the number of weekly arrivals to 25,000, which critics said has limited the number of available flights and caused ticket prices to soar The government is not likely to raise the cap on the number of inbound travelers before the end of this month, despite the apparent effect on the number of inbound flights, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday last week eased quarantine rules for inbound travelers, who must undergo three days of home quarantine upon arrival and spend another four days in self-initiated disease prevention. It also capped the number of inbound travelers to 25,000 per week. The weekly limit has drawn criticism that it has limited the number of flights
RSS