Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday met members of Yunlin’s local party factions in an effort to finalize the selection of the KMT candidate for the Yunlin County commissioner election.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) meanwhile flew to Hualien to discuss the situation with party members after Hualien County Deputy Commissioner Chang Chi-ming (張志明) withdrew from the party to run in the election as an independent.
Wu yesterday met members of six party factions to determine a new candidate after Chang Li-shan (張麗善) withdrew her candidacy on Monday.
PHOTO: CNA
KMT Yunlin branch director Hsu Su-po (?? and Wu Wei-chih (吳威志), a professor at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, are among the party’s preferred candidates to replace Chang Li-shan.
KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) said Wu had met several local politicians and party members — including Chang Li-shan’s brother, former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) — over the past few days to gauge opinion before finalizing the candidate.
Chang Jung-wei was an influential factional leader in Yunlin, but the candidate he backed for the Yunlin legislative by-election, Chang Ken-hui (張艮輝), lost the poll to Democratic Progressive Party rival Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國).
Chan, meanwhile, met local politicians in Hualien yesterday.
Hualien County Commissioner Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), who is reportedly supporting Chang Chi-ming, was not present for Chan’s stop at county government offices.
Chan said he would discuss the situation with Chang Chi-ming and seek his support for the party’s nominee, Tu Li-hua (杜麗華).
KMT Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁), who was barred by the KMT from taking part in the primary because he was found guilty in his first and second trials in two cases, is likely to run for commissioner as well.
Chan said the party would deal with Fu according to party regulations if he joined the election.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor