Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday called for unity after public polls confirmed DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) as the party’s nominee for Pingtung County commissioner in November’s election.
Chou received the most support among county residents at 58.98 percent in a one-on-one contest against potential Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate and former legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉), who polled at 12.66 percent, figures from three polls showed.
Incumbent Pingtung legislators Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) and Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) trailed closely behind Chou with 51.64 and 44.87 percent support respectively.
Photo: Lo Hsin-chen, Taipei Times
The polls were conducted over two days by two public survey companies along with the DPP, contacting 3,600 county residents.
Upon winning the party’s nomination, Chou thanked local groups, politicians and residents for their support, and promised to prioritize economic development if she wins.
‘FIERCE COMPETITION’
“We have finished this fierce competition for the party’s nomination, but it is part of the democratic process. Now that the preliminary race is over, I am seeking cooperation and support from our two fellow party members,” she said. “I must consolidate all support within our party to give Pingtung a brighter future, and together we can win the county commissioner’s office.”
News reports called the campaign the most intense party showdown in Pingtung history, with each candidate enjoying strong local support and receiving endorsements from influential DPP members, reportedly leading to dissent among the DPP’s southern base.
Political commentators said the contest had manifested an internal schism, with Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) backing Chou — both are members of the party’s New Tide faction — while former county commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) supported Chung.
INFIGHTING
Chuang had branded himself a strong supporter of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), with backing from former Pingtung county commissioner and legislative speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全).
During campaigning in January, Chuang sparked party infighting after saying that Chou was collaborating with the KMT, referring to the backing Chou reportedly received from Pingtung County Council Speaker Chou Tien-lun (周典論) and former speaker Cheng Ching-shui (程清水), as well as other local KMT leaders.
Chou Chun-mi, a former district court judge, comes from a family rooted in Pingtung politics, with her father, Chou Hui-huang (周輝煌), serving as a KMT county councilor in the 1970s, political commentators said.
Chung last week demanded a full accounting of Chou Chun-mi’s campaign expenses, suggesting that Pan had provided public resources to support her.
UNITY CALL
Leading DPP figures called for party unity and to work together to win the election in November.
“All three candidates are outstanding for the DPP, but regrettably only one can emerge as the winner,” Pan said. “We hope they can settle their differences and uphold the principles that led them to join the party.”
“We can only achieve victory for Pingtung when working as a team,” he added. “I can be certain that she [Chou Chun-mi] will become the first female commissioner for our county.”
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS