Polls for local chiefs and councilors take place today to elect 319 local chiefs and 879 county and city councilors.
The elections for local chiefs may be the last of their kind to be held because the Ministry of the Interior has proposed terminating the polls in 2006 and appointing local chiefs and councilors in a bid to save public resources.
PHOTO: CHANG HSUN-TENG, TAIPEI TIMES
There are a total of 2,939 candidates registered for the elections, which include 852 candidates running for village, township and city heads and 1,992 candidates running for the county and city councilor seats.
The ruling DPP has nominated a total of 432 candidates for the elections, 166 of whom are local chiefs and 266 of whom are vying for councilor positions.
The KMT has nominated 324 candidates to run in the local head elections and 637 candidates to run in the county and city councilor elections.
The People First Party (PFP) has nominated 27 candidates to run in the elections for local heads and 267 candidates to run in the county and city councilor elections.
The newly-formed Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) nominated only two candidates for local chief positions and 39 candidates for the city and county councilor elections.
Political analysts predict that the KMT, which has long dominated local elections and developed a strong local voting system, might perform well in today's polls though the DPP might increase a substantial number of seats.
The KMT is estimated to win 175 out of the 319 seats for local chiefs and 400 out of the 879 seats in the city and county councilor elections.
Hsu Yang-ming (許陽明), deputy secretary-general of the DPP, said that the DPP hopes to see a 10 to 20 percent increase in the number of seats in the two elections.
The PFP said that it will do its best to have all of its candidates elected in the two elections.
The goal of the TSU is to see at least half of its candidates elected, according to Hsiao Kuan-yu (蕭貫譽), director of the TSU's public relations department.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS