The New Power Party (NPP) won 16 seats in Saturday’s city and county councilor elections, the biggest winner among minor parties and boosting its status as the third-largest party.
The NPP, which nominated 40 councilor candidates in 17 cities and counties, saw 40 percent of its candidates elected, gaining seats in Taipei, Taoyuan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Miaoli County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County.
Founded in 2015 by civil activists associated with the 2014 Sunflower movement, the NPP became the third-largest party in 2016 after securing five seats in the Legislative Yuan. Saturday’s councilor elections were the first the party has participated in and its success was an indication of its growing influence.
Photo: CNA
The party had its greatest successes in Taipei and Hsinchu City, where it won three seats in each.
In Taipei, Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) — who is also head of the party’s Taipei chapter — led a series of campaigns targeting supporters of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and had Ko as a guest at some events. In the nine-in-one elections, three of its five candidates won: Lin Liang-chun (林亮君), Lin Ying-meng (林穎孟) and Huang Yu-fen (黃郁芬).
However, in New Taipei City, where NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) led campaigning, all six of its candidates lost, including former star swimmer Tang Sheng-chieh (唐聖捷).
“Despite having limited resources, the candidates worked hard to research policies and plan their platforms. They did their best to lobby for support by visiting every neighborhood and speaking to people on the streets,” the NPP said in a statement yesterday.
“This was the first time the party took part in local elections. There is still room for improvement and we need to work harder,” it said, thanking supporters for giving its candidates a chance.
Two other minor parties bettered their previous performances.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) nominated five candidates in Taipei, and while only Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) was elected, it was its first win in a local council since the party was founded in 2015.
That Miao could win a seat in Daan (大安) and Wenshan (文山) — districts typically dominated by conservatives — despite her unwavering stance on judicial reform and gender equality, shows that “voters can support a candidate with a resolute political stance” on such issues, SDP Convener Fan Yun (范雲) said on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, the Green Party Taiwan won three seats, the most since its founding in 1996. Three of its 10 candidates were elected, including party convener and Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇), who was seeking re-election.
“With limited resources, the party opted for a campaign style that was environmental and non-intrusive, giving short talks on streets and getting around on bikes,” Wang said, adding that most of its candidates lost due to their lack of wealth and political connections.
Other minor parties that won seats included the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the Republican Party and the Labor Party, winning five, three and two seats respectively, while the People First Party won eight and the New Party won two seats.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS