People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and former United Communications Group chairwoman Sandra Yu (余湘) yesterday registered as the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates at the Central Election Commission in Taipei.
Soong and Yu were the first pair of presidential candidates to arrive at the commission, accompanied by campaign spokeswoman Belle Yu (于美人), PFP secretary-general Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) and Yonglin Foundation executive director Amanda Liu (劉宥彤).
Supporters cheered outside the commission’s building while Soong, 77, registered for the election, his fourth run for president since 2000.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“This is to be ‘the last mile’ of my time spent in political elections. I am grateful and confident that I can help the nation become confident and proud again with what I have learned throughout my career, including international diplomacy, cross-strait affairs, national security and local government affairs,” he said.
Soong said that he and Yu would campaign cheerfully and work together to address the economic issues facing Taiwanese, adding that he would present to the public within the next 10 days the party’s campaign platform for the Jan. 11 elections.
Asked when the party’s nominees for legislators-at-large would be announced, Soong said that the PFP is still finalizing the list, which would definitely be submitted before Friday’s deadline.
“The nominees do not necessarily have to be party members. The most important criterion is that they have to win the hearts of the public,” he said.
Asked if the list would include Liu and Yonglin Foundation deputy chief executive Evelyn Tsai (蔡沁瑜), who work for the foundation set up by former Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘), Soong said that he would keep the list a secret for now, adding that the first nominee on the list would be a surprise to everyone.
He also expressed confidence in his approval rating after he ranked third in a survey released yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News.
The survey showed that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party was leading the three-way-race, with 45 percent support, followed by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, with 29 percent, and Soong with 8 percent.
His approval rating has climbed from less than 1 percent to 8 percent, Soong said, adding that this shows that his approval rating would rise as the campaign progresses.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS