Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that he visited the Central Election Committee (CEC) on Tuesday afternoon to explain to his parents his decision not to register as a presidential candidate.
Ko on Tuesday morning said that he did not have time to prepare a campaign and would not register as an independent candidate for next year’s election.
However, he was seen outside the committee’s office shortly after the 5:30pm deadline for independent candidate registration, sparking speculation.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
At about that time, former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) was arguing with committee staff, saying that she had Ko’s national identification card and wanted to register him as a candidate, despite being told that the deadline had passed.
Asked why he was at the office, Ko said that many passionate supporters had continued to urge him to run for president and had invited his mother to accompany them as they registered him as a candidate, so he went to “take her away.”
“My mother represents the anxiety of Taiwanese over the situation, as she called me in the morning to ask what we should do after [Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder] Terry Gou (郭台銘) decided not to run for president,” Ko said, adding that he told her that Taiwan is not in such a dangerous situation.
Taking out his national identification card from his wallet, Ko jokingly said that fortunately, he always keeps his identification card with him, otherwise other people could have registered him as a candidate.
“I never had much intention to run for president,” he said, adding that he found it interesting that about half of his aides — mostly those younger than 50 — did not support him running for president.
Asked if he had recently approached People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), Ko said that he contacted Soong about wanting to meet, but Soong told him that they should wait until “the situation is settled after Sept. 17.”
Asked about speculation that he might ask the PFP to nominate him as its presidential candidate and whether he intends to cooperate with the party, Ko said that he has good personal ties with Soong, so it would depend on what the cooperation is for.
Ko said that strategically, he believes he has a better chance of being elected than Gou, but added that he does not like the idea of leaving his duties as mayor at the beginning of a term to run for president, which has not happened in Taipei’s history.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest