Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election.
Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign.
She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of her family’s properties, Chen said, adding that Wu’s attorneys are working closely with the CEC to resolve the situation.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“We emphasize that the offices of Wu and [TPP Chairman and presidential candidate] Ko [Wen-je (柯文哲)] will handle the matter according to law,” he said.
The CEC said that as its mandate is to facilitate the elections, questions about the legal consequences of failing to follow electoral rules should be directed to the Ministry of Justice.
The commission’s examination of financial disclosures are by law formal rather than substantive, it said, adding that candidates can rectify errors in their disclosure, but corrections must be submitted separately, leaving the original declaration in place.
According to the financial declarations released by the CEC on Tuesday, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, has a plot of land and a property in Tainan, a Toyota car, a bank account with NT$2.15 million (US$68,243) in it and 13 life insurance savings policies, as well as a NT$13.86 million housing loan.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, reported two plots of land and three properties in Taipei and Chiayi County, savings of NT$39.58 million, NT$4.03 million in bonds and three life insurance savings policies.
Ko owns nine plots of land and six properties in Taipei, Hsinchu City and Penghu County, bank deposits totaling NT$24.6 million, NT$950,000 in fund benefit certificates and seven life insurance savings policies.
DPP vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) reported one plot of land and seven properties in New Taipei City, a Toyota and Kuozui vehicles, NT$15 million in bank accounts, benefit certificates worth NT$2.7 million, five life insurance policies and a NT$1.69 million housing loan.
Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), Hou’s running mate, owns three plots of land and 12 properties in Taipei and New Taipei City, NT$79 million in bank deposits, stocks valued at NT$33.4 million and a housing loan of NT$47 million.
Wu reported one plot of land in New Taipei City and a property in the UK, a Mini Cooper car, NT$2.5 million in bank deposits, NT$36.71 million in securities, a set of sapphire jewelry worth NT$8 million and two life insurance policies, along with NT$9.9 million in debt.
All candidates comply with national regulations, including citizenship requirements, to run in the election, with none of them holding foreign nationality, the commission said.
In addition, none of the candidates has lost or reapplied for restoration of their Republic of China citizenship, it said, adding that it would announce the official roster on Dec. 15.
Candidates for public office are not allowed to hold dual nationality, and those who have had their citizenship restored after giving it up cannot hold office.
Wu previously faced allegations that she had not relinquished her US citizenship, while some questioned whether Hsiao, who was born in Japan and lived in the US, had always been a citizen.
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan and Lin Shin-han
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