Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Chia-chin (
They are Hung Hsiu-chu (
With tears streaming down his face, Lee Chia-chin told yesterday morning's press conference that he hopes that his withdrawal will help unify the pan-blue alliance and reclaim the county after it was lost to the pan-green camp 16 years ago.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
"We lost the election because we are not united," he said. "When Chou announced his candidacy, he said he would like to be the first grain of sand toward the incorporation of the pan-blues. I hope my withdrawal from the primary today serves as the first step toward the pan-blue camp's integration."
"Lee Chia-chin said that his withdrawal was inspired by Chou's `first grain of sand' theory. He said that he was very emotional and over-reacting when Chou announced his return to the KMT to participate in the party's primary.
"After interacting with him and carefully thinking things over, I decided to drop out of the race and give him my endorsement," he said. "I am also happy to accept the offer to be his campaign manager."
While Lee Chia-chin said that he was not pressured to make the decision, Lee Chien-lung said that he strongly suspects that his rival was forced to do so by the higher-ups in the party.
"Closed-door politics," he said. "If the pan-blue alliance wants to recover Taipei County, solid grassroots support base is key."
As Lee Chien-lung vowed to continue his campaign, Hung said that she was stunned and baffled by Lee Chia-chin's decision, but she will continue her election bid.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or