The Executive Yuan has nominated former Yunlin county commissioner Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) as chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said yesterday.
The nomination would be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review, Kolas said in a statement.
The Cabinet appointed Chuang Ching-ta (莊慶達), a professor emeritus at National Taiwan Ocean University’s Institute of Marine Affairs and Resources Management, as vice minister of the Ocean Affairs Council, Kolas said.
In addition, Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城), vice administrative minister of the Council of Agriculture, has been appointed as the council’s vice political minister, she said.
Lee has considerable experience in legal affairs and as a former local government head is familiar with election work, Kolas said, adding that as a veteran government official, he is expected to be an outstanding CEC chairman.
Lee is to succeed Chen In-chin (陳英鈐), who resigned the day after the local elections and referendums on Nov. 24 last year amid heavy criticism of his handling of the polls and subsequent vote counting.
Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建) has been overseeing the council’s work as acting chairman.
Lee was previously a judge at the Hualien, Yilan and Taichung district courts, Kolas said.
He also served as a legislator, Keelung mayor, vice minister of the interior, Public Construction Commission vice minister, vice minister of justice and vice minister of transportation and communications before winning his Yunlin post in 2014.
Lee last year failed to secure a second term, losing to Chang Li-shan (張麗善) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on