The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to nominate a candidate for next year’s presidential election by the middle of April, party chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said in a radio interview yesterday.
After the registration for the DPP’s nomination closes, the party would host either an event for candidates to present their platforms or a debate before conducting a poll, he said.
In the lead-up to the past two presidential elections, the DPP announced its presidential nominee in April of the preceding year.
Photo: CNA
Sources said that members of the DPP believe the popularity of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who might be seeking re-election, has surged after she issued a firm response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech on Jan. 2 calling for unification under a “one country, two systems” model.
However, media reports said that other DPP members, such as former premier William Lai (賴清德) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), are also potential candidates.
Asked whether Tsai might still name Lai as her running mate — a subject of wild speculation by the media — if the former premier were to propose formal independence, Cho said that Lai is a DPP member and must adhere to the party’s platform and its Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文), which clearly states that Taiwan is an independent nation and that any decision to change the “status quo” should be made by Taiwanese voters.
Lai would not “overstep this boundary,” Cho said.
Speaking about future relations between the DPP and independent forces — political parties and politicians outside of the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — Cho said that as the ruling party, the DPP’s goal in next year’s election is to maintain control over the national government.
That means there is “no room for bargaining” and the DPP would definitely be nominating its own presidential candidate, he said.
The DPP could still discuss cooperation with third-party forces in the legislative elections, which will be held simultaneously, but it would nominate a DPP candidate for president, he said.
Asked whether Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) might be named as the DPP nominee’s running mate, Cho said that he believed Ko “has not been preparing” for such a scenario.
Asked whether DPP candidate Ho Chih-wei’s (何志偉) victory in the Taipei legislative by-election on Sunday has boosted his position as party chairman, Cho said that the result was not about individual success.
The outcome allowed the DPP to temporarily strengthen its foothold and gain a better understanding of what to do next, he said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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