The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) shortlisted 43 applicants from an open audition for its nominees for legislative-at-large seats, and they would be interviewed by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the party chairman and other top party members, starting on Sunday, the TPP said yesterday.
TPP Secretary-General Chang Jer-Yang (張哲揚), central committee members and central advisory committee members would join the interviews, and the final decision could be announced by the end of the month.
The audition was open to the public between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10, and the party received a total of 268 applicants, of which 86.1 percent were men, Chang said.
The majority age group of the applicants is between 36 and 40 years old, accounting for 21.03 percent, and most of the applicants hold a university degree.
Additionally, 22.4 percent have academic backgrounds eligible for being a member of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, 19 percent for the Economics Committee and 18.7 percent for the Education and Culture Committee.
The 43 finalists are between 26 and 50 years old, with 32.6 percent between the ages of 41 and 45, and 65.1 percent hold a master’s degree or higher. Ten people have educational backgrounds eligible for the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, nine people for the Economics Committee and seven people for the Education and Culture Committee.
Chang said some of the applicants have been elected representatives, legislators’ assistants, professors, accountants and lawyers.
When asked if Ko’s aide Taipei City Government adviser Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如) had been shortlisted for the TPP’s legislative-at-large nominees list, Chang said he had not yet received any news of it.
Responding to reporters’ questions about whether the party might cooperate with the New Power Party in the legislative election, TPP spokesperson Chen Su-yu (陳思宇) said minor parties have the power to monitor the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party at the Legislative Yuan.
The TPP would not exclude the possibility of working with other parties on some issues, but it has not discussed it yet, she said.
As for the cooperation or competition with former Hon Hai Precision Industry chairman Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) team, they said the TPP has not discussed it with Guo’s team, but if both sides nominate legislative candidates in the same constituency, they would try to negotiate and accept the possibility of cooperating on some issues.
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