Independent Taipei Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) yesterday officially announced his candidacy for the Legislative Yuan, complicating “third force” electoral efforts by turning Taipei’s eighth electoral district into a three-way race.
At a campaign launch surrounded by supporters, Lee promised to push for constitutional reform and to address growing income inequality if elected.
A member of the New Party before joining the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in 2010, Lee announced his withdrawal from the KMT last month before being officially expelled. He yesterday stated that he would not join any political party if elected, amid rumors that he was considering joining the People First Party.
Lee said he would welcome leaders from any political party to campaign on his behalf, displaying a congratulatory message reading: “The brave fear nothing” sent by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), also an independent.
Lee has represented Taipei’s Daan (大安) and Wenshan (文山) districts in the city council for 16 years.
He is to stand in Taipei’s eighth electoral district, which encompasses Wenshan as well as parts of Zhongzheng District (中正), facing off against KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Miao Bo-ya (苗博雅).
The Democratic Progressive Party has not nominated a candidate for the district to allow space for “third force” electoral efforts.
Former Taipei city councilor Yang Shih-chiu (楊實秋), who was also expelled from the KMT last month, has said he also plans to run in next year’s legislative elections, competing for Taipei’s seventh electoral district, encompassing the Songshan (松山) and Xinyi (信義) districts. The SDP has nominated gay rights advocate Lu Hsin-chieh (呂欣潔) for the district, with no candidate nominated by the DPP.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS