Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Chao Tien-lin (
Hsieh told supporters shortly after his loss on Saturday night that he would "keep every promise" he made in the run-up to the election.
He had said he would quit politics if he lost the election.
Hsieh won 41.55 percent of the ballots cast, against the 58.45 percent garnered by his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
It is also customary at the DPP for the party chairman to bear responsibility for an election loss by resigning from the post. Hsieh succeeded President Chen Shui-bian (
If Hsieh does resign from the chairmanship tomorrow, the party's Central Standing Committee would have to select an acting chairman to fill the vacancy until a new one is elected in May.
Several contenders to replace Hsieh have been mentioned by the media, including his running mate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) and former DPP legislator Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉).
Chao yesterday said that Hsieh was glad that the vision he laid out for the country during the election received a positive response from the public and that Hsieh would continue to work with the DPP and with other opposition parties and social groups.
Chao said Hsieh might establish a framework to achieve the vision but details were still being arranged. Hsieh will continue to deliver speeches expounding his ideas domestically and abroad, Chao said.
Su denied yesterday that he was interested in the party's top job, saying he had held the position before.
"At such a critical moment, the party desperately needs someone who is bold and resolute in conducting reform and who can handle party affairs fairly and fervently," he said. "I believe the party is as keen as I am to see such a person emerge and I will give the person my full support."
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that Su was not qualified to serve as acting party chief because Su is not a member of the Central Standing Committee.
Emphasizing that Yu was also once the party leader, a Yu staffer also dismissed the speculation that he was keen on the position, saying that Yu was neither interested nor planned to run for the post.
Luo and Yeh were unavailable for comment yesterday.
Gao, however, said that it would do Luo more harm than good to spread such a rumor.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (
Although Hsieh served as a two-term mayor in the city, he lost to Ma by 28,885 votes in Kaohsiung.
When approached for comment, Chen Chu said the party needs to conduct a thorough self examination if people in the city were unable to see the DPP's administrative achievements over the past decade. However she declined to comment on who may become the DPP's next leader, adding that she was not interested in the position.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
RSS