The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Wednesday agreed to use public polling to decide on a coalition presidential ticket, with the result to be announced on Saturday.
New Taipei City Mayor and KMT candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and TPP Chairman and candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) met on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting largely expected to be their last, as they attempt to break a stalemate over who is to represent the opposition on January’s presidential ballot.
The parties met at the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation in Taipei, with former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) serving as a witness.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
In a joint statement following the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, the participants said they had agreed to use polling results as the basis of their decision.
Polling experts are to analyze the results of public opinion polls conducted by various organizations between Tuesday last week and Friday, in addition to internal polls conducted by the two parties, they said.
For each poll, if the winner exceeds the statistical margin of error, they are to receive a “point,” they said.
If neither exceeds the margin of error, it would count as a point toward a Hou-Ko joint ticket, they added, remaining vague on the details.
The KMT, TPP and Ma are to each nominate a polling expert of their choice, the statement said, adding that the result would be announced by the foundation on Saturday morning.
After the ballot is decided, the KMT and TPP are to form a joint campaign to assist all candidates of the two parties running in January, it said.
Candidates for the presidential election on Jan. 13 must formally register between Monday and Friday next week.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS