Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday completed his registration at the Central Election Commission office in Taipei to run in next year’s presidential election.
The commission is accepting registrations from party-nominated candidates for the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections from yesterday to Friday.
Han, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate, was accompanied by his running mate, former premier Simon Chang (張善政), and his Taipei campaign office deputy chief executive, Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Speaking to reporters at the commission, Han said he would very much like a “clean, civilized and healthy” presidential election that could make future generations proud.
“My running mate, Simon Chang, and I will work hard to create clean elections, a sunny vibe, a beautiful Taiwan and a bright future,” he said.
He and Chang will clearly explain their concerns and plans for the nation’s future so that people can decide whom to vote for, he added.
Compared with most democratic elections, next year’s presidential and legislative elections have a special significance, he said.
“While elections are usually about changing government, next year’s elections will determine the life or death of the Republic of China,” he said, urging Taiwanese around the world to return home to vote to protect the nation.
A survey conducted by the Chinese-language United Daily News published yesterday showed President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leading in a three-way race, with a support rating of 45 percent, followed by Han with 29 percent and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) with 8 percent.
Asked how he would close the 16-point gap with Tsai, Han said: “Can’t you see that I’m still smiling?”
The DPP is “silly” to assume that good poll numbers would ensure victory, he said.
“I think in a completely different way. I believe you can only win [the election] if you win people’s hearts,” he said.
If people look closely, they would notice that, while people attending his rally were there for him, those at Tsai’s were just there for “a lunchbox,” he said.
In other developments, Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau Secretary-General Kao Mei-lan (高美蘭) yesterday applied for a month’s leave, which means she would again miss the Kaohsiung City Council’s interpellation.
Kao has been on leave since Monday last week and had missed a question-and-answer session at the city council last week.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine earlier this month reported that Han and Kao in 2011 each purchased a pre-sale luxury apartment in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) valued at more than NT$70 million (US$2.3 million).
A week after the report, DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said that Han and five other buyers allegedly pressured the construction company into offering them a combined loan of NT$1.3 billion to be returned over 20 years, conditions that were against the company’s policy.
Kao said in a written statement that by taking time off, she hoped to avoid any concerns about the government’s neutrality and to give her colleagues more space to work undisturbed.
All her housing investments were done legally and before she became a public servant, she said.
Additional reporting by CNA
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese