The Social Welfare State Front, a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Taiwan Radical Wings and the Green Party Taiwan, yesterday said it aims to win at least three councilor seats each in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Tainan and Kaohsiung in the Nov. 24 elections, and to establish united party caucuses in the cities.
The three parties on June 19 founded the front with mediation from former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Zau-nan (陳昭南) to promote their shared platform policies, which include improving public housing, childcare and transportation, and establishing subsidies for start-ups.
The front has candidates in 24 constituencies, Chen said, adding that while the final candidate lists for 20 constituencies have already been determined, those for the remaining four are still being discussed.
Photo courtesy of the Social Welfare State Front
The front is to field one candidate in every constituency, he said.
“If there is more than one candidate, and if no consensus can be reached on who should run in the area, then a primary election would be held in the constituency for local residents to vote for their preferred candidate, but there is also the option of having multiple candidates in one constituency,” Chen said.
The SDP has candidates in five constituencies in Taipei and hopes to have at least three elected in November, said SDP member Hsu Han-yun (許菡芸), who is running for a seat on the Taipei City Council.
The front’s platform would benefit not only Taipei, but also other cities and counties, said Ong Iong-sim (王映心) of the Taiwan Radical Wings, who is also competing for a seat in the Taipei City Council.
“In addition to improving the economy, we should also ensure that wealth is justly distributed. For example, did our salaries increase when GDP growth increased? Instead of being paid more, many were paid less as the wealth gap continues to widen,” Ong said.
The Green Party has councilor candidates in Taoyuan, Jhongli and Hsinchu, and is to nominate more in Hsinchu, party secretary-general Chang Chih-wei (張志偉) said.
The party in 2015 formed the Green-SDP Alliance and hopes to do so again to defeat the New Power Party (NPP), Chang said.
“The NPP has refused to communicate, discuss or negotiate with us. Considering how tough the environment is for minor parties, the NPP, as the most influential minor party, should be more responsible, but if they are unwilling, the Green Party will take up that role,” he said.
The SDP is still considering whether to form an alliance with the Green Party, Hsu said, adding that it also hopes that the NPP would discuss the possibility of collaborating with other minor parties.
The front welcomes any young people who support their platform to join, with the exception of those in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), New Party, People First Party and Chinese Unity Promotion Party, Chen said, adding that he hopes to see more young people with vision replace incompetent politicians from major parties.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS