The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) aims to double its number of administrative positions in the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections, party sources said.
The KMT is optimistic about retaining the New Taipei City mayor’s post, as well as the county commissioner jobs in Miaoli, Nantou, Taitung and Lienchiang counties, a party member responsible for election campaigning said.
Of the six special municipalities and counties that it now governs, Hsinchu County is the only one that is unpredictable, the member said.
While the KMT cannot afford to lose any of those areas, it is also hoping to double its number of local government heads to 12, party sources said.
The would allow it to control more than half of the nation’s cities and counties and help pave the way for victory in the 2020 presidential election, they said.
The KMT is hopeful that it will regain control of Taipei and Chiayi City, in addition to Changhua and Hualien counties, sources said, adding that Hsinchu would be more challenging, but possible.
As for Penghu, the party is expecting solid support from the county’s public-school teachers, civil servants and military personnel, who account for a high percentage of the population, sources said.
While Yilan County might be a long-term stronghold for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the KMT has faith in its candidate for county commissioner, Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙), who has developed strong grassroots support, the party said.
Of the six special municipalities, the party is prioritizing Taichung, sources said.
Popular KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) last week joined a campaign trip for KMT Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), who is standing for mayor in that city, KMT sources said, adding that the party plans to channel more resources into the race.
As for Taipei, party statistics showed that 35 percent of the city’s residents support the KMT, while a quarter support the DPP, sources said.
While the situation is complicated by independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) re-election bid, the KMT challenger, former legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), has a good chance of beating Ko.
Voters in the nine-in-one elections are to choose mayors and councilors in the six special municipalities and other cities, Aboriginal district representatives and councilors, county commissioners and councilors, township mayors and councilors, and borough and village wardens.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS