Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said today that he plans to run in next year’s New Taipei City mayoral election.
The TPP’s national congress yesterday did not change its policy that legislators-at-large step down after two years.
In an interview with the online news platform “Stop Pretending” this morning, Huang said that the two-year clause was a promise made by TPP founder and former chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and that he agrees with the policy.
Photo: Taipei Times
After leading the TPP in the Legislative Yuan for two years, Huang said he would step down from the role on Jan. 31 next year along with other current TPP legislators-at-large.
TPP legislators Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) and Lin Kuo-cheng (林國成) have done well and would aim to “obtain executive power” in the future, starting with next year’s county commissioner and city mayoral elections, he said.
Responding to questions from the program host, Huang said he would run in the New Taipei City mayoral election next year.
The risk is high if three candidates run, because if the TPP and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates each receive 30 percent of the vote, the Democratic Progressive Party candidate could win with just 35 to 40 percent, Huang said.
The KMT is a large and powerful party with many outstanding members, and has much to consider, he said.
He added that the KMT and TPP are willing to talk with each other, but the KMT responded “rather coldly” when he reached out with goodwill.
Huang said his first priority is to unseat President William Lai (賴清德) in the 2028 elections and would not do anything to jeopardize that goal.
He said his second guiding principle is that he would not run if he was not confident he could win.
The TPP cannot just cling to a few seats in the Legislative Yuan — it must branch out and expand its presence across the country, he added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS