The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to launch its second round of nominations today to select candidates for the seven-in-one municipal elections next year, while its nominees for the five special municipalities and Taoyuan will be chosen after the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
The party announced its candidates for the contests in Hsinchu City and Yunlin, as well as for Taitung and Kinmen counties in the first round of nominations.
The second round is to be completed next month, one month ahead of schedule.
The KMT candidates for the six major electoral zones — Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市), Taoyuan, Greater Taichung, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung — will be named in the final round of nominations because the party needs to spend more time determining who is best suited for these key areas, KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chun (楊偉中) said yesterday.
In New Taipei City, local city councilor Chen Ming-yi (陳明義) of the KMT yesterday announced that he will join the municipality’s mayoral contest because New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) is eying the 2016 presidential election.
Chu, who has been reluctant to discuss if he is planning a re-election bid, yesterday dismissed recent reports that he is considering running in Taipei instead and said he is focused on municipal developments.
Chu’s father-in-law, Kao Yu-jen (高育仁), former speaker of the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Assembly, also dismissed the speculations.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) also declined to confirm his re-election bid in response to the announcement made by KMT Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦龍) that he will enter the race for the Greater Taichung mayorship.
Tsai said Hu has occupied the post for too long and called on his supporters to pledge to bring change to the municipality.
“Mayor Hu has set a record in number of mayoral terms served and I think voters have already made up their minds on whether he has been in charge for too long,” Tsai said.
Hu has served as mayor for three terms over more than 11 years. He is eligible for re-election because Taichung City’s status was upgraded to the special municipality of Greater Taichung in 2010.
Hu said he respected Tsai’s decision to enter the race, but declined to confirm whether he would seek re-election.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
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SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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