Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh said he would conduct a public opinion poll on former premier Su Tseng-chang (
Hsieh said he will also listen to opinions coming "from the president [down] to ordinary people."
Hsieh made the announcement through a recorded message posted on his Web blog yesterday morning.
He said he would be impartial and uphold the nation's interests when choosing his vice presidential partner.
"I will listen to other people's opinions, but I will not let other people decide for me, regardless of who or what they are -- TV news, the media, political talk show hosts, the president, the premier or the [party] chairman," he said.
"The poll results will not be the only criterion, but if there is a big difference between the ratings, I will prioritize a DPP victory because winning the election is the most important goal," he said.
Hsieh said he believes a DPP victory in next year's presidential election would put an end to the nation's "democratic civil war" pitting the DPP against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and resolve "the independence versus unification controversy."
"If the DPP wins, I believe the pro-localization elements within the KMT will gain the upper hand. The KMT will then be thoroughly localized," he said.
Hsieh has remained tight-lipped about his potential running mate since he won the DPP presidential nomination in May.
His KMT opponent, Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), chose former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) as his running mate on June 23.
Yeh, a Hakka who enjoys support from Hakka groups, has clearly expressed her interest in being Hsieh's running mate while Su said on Friday he had no intention of competing with Yeh.
In his online message, Hsieh commended Yeh for her magnanimity and the thoughtfulness she demonstrated by suggesting that Hsieh turn to polls rather than directly choose her as running mate.
Hsieh said the reason why he did not choose a running mate immediately after the primary was that he wanted to wait until party members had had a chance to calm down from the emotional primary.
In response to Hsieh's blog posting, DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (
"I have talked to [former] premier Su on the phone. He made it very clear he would campaign for Hsieh but he did not want any offer of position," Wu said.
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
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS