Former premier Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh is the first of the four big DPP figures viewed as possible presidential contenders to declare his candidacy. The others are Vice President Annette Lu (
His announcement came three days after former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"I will take advantage of the Lunar New Year holidays to ponder the issues of public welfare and tax reform. I will then register for the DPP's presidential primary," Hsieh said while meeting with grassroots supporters in Kaohsiung.
Registration for the primary will be open from March 5 to March 9, according to the schedule finalized by the party's Central Standing Committee on Wednesday.
Party members will vote on both presidential and legislative hopefuls on May 6, after which public opinion polls will be held.
The party member vote counts for 30 percent of a would-be candidate's "score," while the public poll counts for 70 percent. The presidential hopeful who receives the highest approval rating will be named as the party's presidential standard-bearer on May 30.
The party has denied changing its timetable in reaction to Ma's announcement.
In response to supporters cheering "Go for the presidency!" and "President Hsieh!" the former Kaohsiung mayor said he had listened to his supporters' calls for him to run and he would work hard to win.
He refused, however, to say whom he would like to see as a vice presidential running mate.
Asked to comment on a meeting between Ma and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to discuss the KMT's presidential nomination, Hsieh said he hoped the meeting was a success.
He also called on Ma not to make public appeals about his indictment on corruption charges.
"It's a judicial issue. The public did not see the evidence and has no right to conduct an investigation ... Political leaders should speak and act cautiously," Hsieh said, referring to Ma's condemnation of the prosecutors' who indicted him.
also see story:
Editorial: The end of the road for Lee Teng-hui
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS