Independent hopeful Chang Po-ya (
The decision caught both the KMT and PFP off guard yesterday as the former pledged to continue consolidating the opposition forces and the latter put a temporary stop to cross-party negotiations.
The development also prompted the KMT to call off an opinion poll originally agreed upon by all parties to settle who may run on behalf of the pan-blue camp against incumbent DPP Mayor Frank Hsieh (
Chang, the former interior minister, who has the backing of the PFP, issued a statement at 11:30pm Wednesday saying she would withdraw from the pan-blue effort to mount a united front for the December elections.
"Because I am suspicious of the selection mechanisms, I've decided to call it quits," she said in the statement. "But I will continue fighting for the opportunity to serve Kaohsiung residents."
Chang singled out KMT organization official James Chen (
She noted that the party's Kaohsiung chapter planned to stage an anti-Chang march last Saturday, which was later moved to an indoor venue after her supporters protested.
"Chen cannot be trusted to handle the survey," Chang told reporters at her campaign headquarters yesterday.
The independent contender also questioned the merits of conducting a poll, noting that pro-DPP radio stations have urged their audiences to fake support for KMT aspirant Huang Chun-ying (
Recent surveys show that Chang, previously the frontrunner of the opposition pool, trails behind Huang, while Hsieh enjoys a comfortable lead regardless of who the challenger is.
"The DPP's dividing tactic has ruined the validity of the opinion poll," she insisted. "Not until the vote on Dec. 7 will the strength of individual candidates be truthfully assessed."
Chang's decision has the pan-blue camp debating what it will do in a joint bid to win the southern port city.
KMT spokesman Alex Tsai (
"The KMT will not give up a chance of uniting the opposition forces in the election for Kaohsiung mayor," Tsai said. He added the party would call off the planned opinion survey now that the cross-party venture has come to a halt.
His colleague James Chen cried foul over accusations of unfair play.
He denied any role in the picking of polling companies, saying they were jointly picked by the KMT, the PFP and Chang herself during an earlier meeting.
"It is true I will be in charge of signing the contract with the pollsters," Chen said. "But there is no evidence to suggest I would have manipulated the outcome of the survey."
He urged the PFP to throw its support behind the KMT nominee, noting that Chang does not belong to the opposition camp in the first place.
However, the PFP said it would temporarily shut down bipartisan negotiations until the KMT stifles party resistance to the coordinating effort.
"A few defiant KMT officials have been seeking to spoil the coordinating mechanism," PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping (
He declined to name the "culprits," saying the KMT has promised to look into the matter and give an explanation when the probe is completed.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS