KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
And in a move to show the PFP's support for Wang's candidacy, PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"Since this is bona fide cooperation between political parties, the KMT will fully support you [Wang] to win the position," Lien said during a meeting with Wang.
On Thursday, the KMT and New Party decided to jointly support the candidacy of Wang, a New Party co-founder and former minister of finance, after he beat the KMT's nominee Lin Jih-jia (
The development came two weeks after PFP Deputy Secretary-general Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生), the party's nominee for Taipei County commissioner, quit the race.
Wang yesterday visited both the KMT and PFP leadership to extend invitations to Lin and Chin to be his running mates in an effort to boost opposition alliance cooperation.
The PFP's absence from the polling had sparked public doubt as to whether the party was supportive of the cooperation plan and Wang's candidacy.
"This partnership can prove that cooperation within the opposition alliance is for real," Wang said.
Wang added both Lin and Chin are familiar with Taipei County and will offer him great assistance in administering the county after he is elected.
"The three of us will definitely do a good job in Taipei County. The purpose of the alliance is not just to win the election, but to ensure excellent performance after getting elected," Wang said.
Lin on Thursday said that he would not seek other public office and would quit politics, temporarily or for good.
Chin, meanwhile, is abroad and could not be reached for comment. It is believed that the possibility of him accepting the running-mate offer is remote.
PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) said Wang's offer was most welcome.
But Chang said the decision on whether to accept the offer is up to Chin himself, and that party chairman James Soong (
Chang said he himself would be very happy to stump for Wang in the run-up to the election, and urged PFP supporters to throw their support behind the candidate.
"Now that the KMT has decided not to send its own candidate and the PFP has also quit the race, Wang is the only candidate [for the opposition alliance]. There is no doubt about it," Chang said.
On the question of whether Soong will campaign for Wang, Chang said he could not answer the question on his behalf. Soong has not yet returned from an overseas trip.
Following the successful example of cooperation in Taipei County, PFP lawmakers yesterday urged the KMT to accept a PFP proposal to conduct opinion polls in other localities to select candidates to represent the opposition alliance in the county commissioner and city mayoral elections.
According to Chou Hsi-wei (
"We should avoid a mutually destructive fight which will lead the opposition alliance to failure," Chou said.
Chao Shou-po (趙守博), director-general of the KMT's Organization and Development Committee, however, said that it might be difficult to adopt the same method it used in other localities unless all of the contestants agree to such a resolution.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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