Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that if people do not want to vote in the elections, they should just not vote, rather than casting invalid votes.
His supporters are reportedly urging others to cast an invalid vote in the Jan. 11 presidential election.
Ko, who is also chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), was responding to a comment made by his close aide, former Taipei City Government adviser Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如), in a radio interview on Sunday.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
She is listed fifth on the TPP’s legislator-at-large nominees list.
Tsai said that if Ko ran for president, it is estimated that he would have a support rate of about 20 to 25 percent, but so far opinion polls showed that the TPP only has a support rate of about 8 to 10 percent, meaning there is room for improvement.
She said that many people still are not aware that Ko founded the party, so the party would continue to reinforce the image that “Ko equals the TPP” in weeks before the Jan. 11 legislative elections.
Many of Ko’s supporters have told her that they do not know who to vote for in the presidential election, so some people are initiating a “spoilt votes movement,” urging others to write “Ko Wen-je” on the ballot and cast invalid votes.
When asked by the radio host if she supports the movement, Tsai said she should not encourage people to cast invalid votes, but the number of invalid votes could represent how many people are dissatisfied with their options or reveal the number of hidden Ko supporters, which could be a reference for predicting the outcome of the 2024 election.
Asked for a comment yesterday, Ko said: “I do not think it is necessary, just keep a calm attitude and keep the election clean.”
“Do not go and vote if you do not want to vote, but do not destroy the ballot, and just keep the election clean,” he said, adding that the 2024 election in not yet a concern.
Public opinion in Taiwan often swings from one side to the other, Ko said, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered a major defeat in the nine-in-one elections last year, but has reversed the situation now.
He thinks keeping his base voters is good enough, Ko said.
Asked whether the situation in Hong Kong might affect young voters’ willingness to vote in the elections, Ko said he thinks it would, and that the problems in Hong Kong have become a chronic disease that the Beijing government should think practically about.
He was also asked to comment on a remark by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could not manipulate the Hong Kong district council elections, so it is unlikely to meddle in Taiwan’s elections.
Ko said that the CPP failed in controlling the Hong Kong elections this time, but that does not mean it is incapable of doing so.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
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
RSS