New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday said he is “good to go” to run in next year’s presidential election as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) started its nomination process.
Hou — who is widely regarded as the presumptive KMT presidential candidate — made the remark in response to questions about his next moves at a news conference after a meeting with city officials.
Asked to elaborate, Hou said he has held 15 government posts during his career, adding that preparing for new challenges to help the nation is part of the job.
Photo: CNA
The KMT’s nomination process is directed by KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) with an eye toward party unity, Hou said, adding that he trusts in the party headquarters’ decisionmaking process and strategy.
Hou in November last year was re-elected mayor with more than 1.16 million, or 62.42 percent, of the vote, which has bolstered his position as the party’s leading presidential hopeful.
However, to run for president, Hou would need to step down as mayor before serving less than half of his mandate.
Hou said he would like to be part of a special committee that would select candidates for next year’s legislative elections.
Separately, the KMT Central Standing Committee nominated 16 legislative candidates, with KMT mayors and commissioners posing with the candidates for the cameras in a demonstration of unity.
The party would name two more sets of candidates by June 18, KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷), who heads the KMT culture and communications committee, told a separate news conference in Taipei.
The party last month said it would nominate legislative candidates by a special committee instead of holding primary elections, citing a need to maintain solidarity.
The party has delayed naming a presidential candidate due not to disunity, but to amplify the “mother hen” effect on other candidates, Hung said.
The KMT would not rush or postpone announcing candidates for the elections, he said.
Asked about Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) public disapproval of a proposed “non-green alliance,” Hung said the KMT is ironing out differences with other opposition parties in hopes of creating a broader coalition.
The KMT has open lines of communication with other opposition parties and conducts its negotiations with the utmost sincerity, he said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS