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.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS