The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday announced that nearly 90 percent of the space needed to hold a vote on whether to recall Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has been secured, after city agencies limited voting space.
The Kaohsiung Education Bureau and Kaohsiung Civil Affairs Bureau previously said that they would limit space in schools and temples to be used for the vote, citing COVID-19 prevention measures.
The vote is to take place on June 6.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
The CEC yesterday said that of the 1,823 venues it hoped to use, 1,622 have so far been secured — a total of 88.97 percent of the space needed, adding that it still needs to work out arrangements for voting stations in the city’s Sanmin (三民), Fongshan (鳳山) and Lingya (苓雅) districts.
As of yesterday, the CEC had secured 51.85 percent of the 189 venues it needs in Sanmin, 67.54 percent of the 228 venues it needs in Fongshan and 68.97 percent of the 116 venues it needs in Lingya, it said.
The city’s departments had been gradually reducing the number of venues they had agreed to provide, the CEC said, adding that they had initially agreed to provide 1,513 venues, which was reduced to 1,367 in a second report to the commission, and to 1,182 in a third report.
However, after negotiations the CEC was able to secure 1,622 of the venues needed, it said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kaohsiung City Councilor Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) yesterday said a poll showed that Sanmin residents formed the largest group in support of recalling Han, accounting for 14 percent of the total figure citywide.
This meant the district also had the greatest need in terms of polling stations, Kang said, adding that it is still lacking 48 percent of the venues needed.
Kang and fellow DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Ho Chuan-feng (何權峰) appealed to city government agencies to safeguard city residents’ right to vote, and implored “those with ill intent” to stay out of the voting process.
Of the venues needed in the three districts still trying to secure space, 70 percent should be schools and 14 percent should be public recreation centers, the two councilors said.
“There are still 91 places where we don’t have venues. Are you saying these places don’t even have sports fields we can use? Are there borough wardens who want to lend space, but are getting obstructed by district offices?” Ho asked.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS