People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and former United Communications Group chairwoman Sandra Yu (余湘) yesterday registered as the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates at the Central Election Commission in Taipei.
Soong and Yu were the first pair of presidential candidates to arrive at the commission, accompanied by campaign spokeswoman Belle Yu (于美人), PFP secretary-general Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) and Yonglin Foundation executive director Amanda Liu (劉宥彤).
Supporters cheered outside the commission’s building while Soong, 77, registered for the election, his fourth run for president since 2000.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“This is to be ‘the last mile’ of my time spent in political elections. I am grateful and confident that I can help the nation become confident and proud again with what I have learned throughout my career, including international diplomacy, cross-strait affairs, national security and local government affairs,” he said.
Soong said that he and Yu would campaign cheerfully and work together to address the economic issues facing Taiwanese, adding that he would present to the public within the next 10 days the party’s campaign platform for the Jan. 11 elections.
Asked when the party’s nominees for legislators-at-large would be announced, Soong said that the PFP is still finalizing the list, which would definitely be submitted before Friday’s deadline.
“The nominees do not necessarily have to be party members. The most important criterion is that they have to win the hearts of the public,” he said.
Asked if the list would include Liu and Yonglin Foundation deputy chief executive Evelyn Tsai (蔡沁瑜), who work for the foundation set up by former Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘), Soong said that he would keep the list a secret for now, adding that the first nominee on the list would be a surprise to everyone.
He also expressed confidence in his approval rating after he ranked third in a survey released yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News.
The survey showed that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party was leading the three-way-race, with 45 percent support, followed by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, with 29 percent, and Soong with 8 percent.
His approval rating has climbed from less than 1 percent to 8 percent, Soong said, adding that this shows that his approval rating would rise as the campaign progresses.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS