The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was scrambling to find a new candidate for the Yunlin County commissioner election yesterday after Chang Li-shan (張麗善) withdrew her candidacy on Monday.
National Yunlin University of Science & Technology professor Wu Wei-chi (吳威志) and Hsu Su-po (許舒博), director of the KMT’s Yunlin branch, are among those the party is considering as a replacement.
Hsu met KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) at KMT headquarters yesterday but said he had no intention of running in the election.
Chan said the party would insist on presenting a candidate with integrity and a clean image. He also said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had urged the party to continue its reform efforts and push for party unity.
“The president hopes that the public will approve of our reform efforts and support the KMT,” he said.
BAD BLOOD
Chang announced on Monday that she would withdraw from the election without telling the party first. She said she was withdrawing her candidacy because of the bad blood between her brother, former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) and Chang Hui-yuan (張輝元), who ran in Saturday’s Yunlin legislative by-election as an independent.
The split between Chang Hui-yuan and the KMT’s candidate Chang Ken-hui (張艮輝) helped Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) win a landslide victory, the two factions backing Chang Hui-yuan and Chang Jung-wei respectively having turned on each other.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said the party would definitely find a candidate from Yunlin, rather than someone from another city or county.
Wu also dismissed allegations that the party wanted its candidates standing in local government elections who are also legislators to give up their legislative seats.
Chan, however, said the party could consider it as a strategy to increase room for negotiation between hopefuls.
The party could arrange for individuals who were also interested in joining the local government elections to run in the legislative by-elections instead if the other candidates gave up their legislative seats, Chan said.
The KMT would not make a decision on the issue without consulting candidates, legislators and local branches, he said.
KMT candidates who are also legislators include Hsinchu County’s Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳), Taitung County’s Justin Huang (黃健庭), Taoyuan County’s John Wu (吳志揚), and Chiayi County’s Wong Chung-chun (翁重鈞).
INDEPENDENT
In related news, Hualien County Deputy Commissioner Chang Chih-ming (張志明) said he would leave the KMT to take part in December’s county commissioner election as an independent.
Chang did not take part in last month’s party primary, which saw former Hualien County Agricultural Development Office director Tu Li-hua (杜麗華) triumph over former minister of health Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), but has long been interested in running for the post.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old