Aside from President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier William Lai (賴清德), known for his grassroots connections, is viewed as a valuable asset as the party prepares for next year’s local elections.
The elections are to take place either on Nov. 24 or Dec. 1 next year, pending a final decision by the Central Election Commission.
Lai has been visiting local constituencies throughout the nation over the past few days to talk to voters about the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and other government policies, a move that should help boost the party’s support base ahead of the elections, political watchers said.
Lai’s first visit was to Pingtung County on Friday.
The premier was warmly received, Pingtung County Government spokesman Huang Chien-chia (黃建嘉) said, adding that Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安), a DPP member, plans to run for a second term.
Lai’s approval ratings are high and he will be a major player in assisting the campaigns of other candidates, Huang said, adding that DPP county councilor aspirants hope the premier will visit the county more often.
DPP Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪), who has been chosen by the party to run for Taitung County commissioner, said Lai would visit Taitung later this week.
Liu said he hoped Lai and members of the Cabinet would make several more trips to better understand the county’s situation.
The visits will also be helpful to his campaign as well as strengthen support for the party among the county’s voters, Liu added.
The DPP is scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday next week, during which Tsai will announce the list of commissioners and mayors who will run for re-election.
Several candidates hope to appear on stage with Lai and Tsai given their importance as representatives of the party leadership, DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said.
Nine commissioners and mayors have already expressed their intention to be present at the news conference, she said.
Candidates have been looking for Lai’s public support, Hsu said, citing DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui’s (吳秉叡) invitation to Lai to join him and others on a hiking excursion.
Wu is planning to run for New Taipei City mayor.
“If the DPP has a high approval rating, then standing on that stage next to the president, the premier and other leaders will be worth a lot,” Hsu said.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS