Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday officially qualified for the presidential election in January after the Central Election Commission (CEC) validated the signatures he had collected to run as an independent candidate.
Gou and his running mate, Tammy Lai (賴佩霞), submitted 1,038,031 signatures — more than the 1,036,778 counted by their campaign staff — of which 902,389, or 87 percent, were valid, the CEC said in a statement.
They needed at least 289,667 signatures, or 1.5 percent of all eligible voters, to get on the ballot.
Photo:CNA
Of the 10 signature campaigns registered with the CEC, only five submitted signatures. Besides Gou and Lai, none of the other campaigners passed the threshold.
The nine unsuccessful campaigners would each forfeit their NT$1 million (US$30,931) deposits for failing to collect half the required number of endorsements, the CEC said.
In a statement, Gou’s campaign office thanked CEC staff and everyone who supported the signature drive, saying that Gou would aim to bring about cross-strait peace, as well as prosperity and a “clean” government, if he wins the election.
In other developments, representatives of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are to meet again today to negotiate whether they will field a joint ticket for the presidential race.
The meeting is to take place at the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation in Taipei, with former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT invited to participate as a witness, statements issued by the two parties said.
The attendees would include the KMT’s presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), TPP Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), the TPP said.
Due to venue restrictions, reporters would not be allowed to attend the meeting, but a news conference would be held afterward, the TPP said.
The meeting was arranged after the two parties agreed to partly determine who would run for president and would run for vice president using public polls after months of deadlock.
What remain to be determined are the content and rules of the poll, Chu said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS