The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that a majority of the public do not support a plan by pan-blue local government officials' to defy the Central Election Commission's (CEC) decision to distribute election and referendum ballots simultaneously in January's legislative elections.
A poll released by the DPP yesterday showed that nearly 48 percent of respondents said they considered the move inappropriate, while about 30 percent said they found it acceptable. About 20 percent of respondents said they did not have any preference.
The survey was conducted by the DPP's Poll Center on Monday and Tuesday.
PHOTO: CNA
The DPP's Central Standing Committee said at a meeting yesterday that the administration must boost its public relations campaign at district election commissions to advertise "one-step voting," meaning that ballots be handed out together.
Hsieh Hsin-ni (謝欣霓), director of the party's Culture and Information Department, urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to listen to public opinion, adding that the "two-step voting" system that it favored would be more costly.
The CEC ruled last Friday that voters would receive their legislative ballot and two referendum ballots together at the entrance to voting stations. The pan-green and pan-blue camps have accused each other of trying to manipulate election and referendum results.
Eighteen pan-blue local governments have signed a statement pledging to exercise their authority according to the Local Government Act (地方自治法) and handle the elections their own way.
The Cabinet has said that heads of local governments would be held responsible if their administrations did not comply with the CEC ruling, adding that frontline election personnel were also subject to punishment as laid out in the Civil Servants Work Act (
Meanwhile, the committee yesterday agreed to form an anti-vote buying task force headed by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to expose suspected vote-buying activities.
Meanwhile, former DPP legislator Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) introduced his campaign team yesterday ahead of the inauguration of his campaign headquarters on Saturday.
Luo will be running as a legislative candidate for Taipei's Da-an District (
Former minister of health Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), a DPP legislator--at-large candidate who heads the volunteer department for Luo's campaign, asked supporters to divert their sympathy for him to Luo.
Twu was wrongfully accused by Lee and restaurant proprietor Cheng Ko-jung (
The Taiwan High Court ordered the pair to pay Twu NT$1 million (US$30,000) as compensation for damaging Twu's reputation.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
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