Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) unexpectedly dropped her bid for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential nomination yesterday afternoon.
“I wish the other candidates the best, but I won’t join the 2012 DPP presidential primaries,” Lu said at a press conference where she was originally expected to unveil her cross-strait policies.
Lu said she was deeply affected by the natural disasters in Japan and claimed her decision was due to a “sign from God.”
“Even with this kind of disaster taking place so close to Taiwan, not many people are willing to reflect on what needs to be done,” she said, explaining her decision to drop the presidential bid in order to spend more time on the environmental movement. “Maybe I’ll lose a few supporters, but I have to do what has to be done.”
At the press conference, Lu recounted her political journey, from a feminist leader to jailed democracy activist and then eventually Taiwan’s first female vice--president, serving two terms with former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
“I have experienced every kind of out-of-luck situation, but I’m still standing here today. My biggest wish is to see more people serve this country,” she said.
On Feb. 28, Lu declared her candidacy for the DPP nomination to become the nation’s first female head of state, launching her campaign with the words: “I have the experience to be president.”
However, despite her more than two weeks head start against two other DPP candidates — Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who temporarily stepped down as party chairperson to run for the DPP nomination, and former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) — Lu, 66, struggled in the opinion polls that will be used to decide the party primaries.
Her proposal to change the national anthem, move the capital from Taipei and push for a referendum to rename the country also drew mixed responses from the public, despite canvassing heavily nationwide.
A poll conducted by the Chinese-language United Daily News released on March 11 suggested Lu had the lowest chance of all DPP presidential hopefuls. If the two faced off, Ma would receive 41 percent against Lu’s 17 percent; Tsai and Su would instead receive 31 percent each, the survey showed.
Lu yesterday made no mention of those poll numbers and gave no endorsement to either Tsai or Su.
Meanwhile, Liu said she would quit her elected post in the DPP’s Central Executive Committee, listing what she said were a number of problems, including a factional system that has drawn criticism in the past.
She vowed to continue her work in politics through the China Research Center as part of the Institute of National Development she helped create. Critiques, she said, would continue to be offered on the DPP’s cross-strait policies.
Lu’s announcement yesterday came as a relief to DPP politicians who were growing concerned about how a three-way race might split the party in a decisive election year.
DPP caucus chief Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), the acting party chairperson, immediately released a statement saying that Lu’s decision was a “tremendous help to party unity and the [DPP’s] chances of success in the elections.”
“It will have a huge impact on the DPP — a positive impact. The party will continue to look toward her for guidance in the future,” Ker added.
Both Tsai and Su said they respected Lu’s decision.
Tsai said while canvassing in Chiayi County yesterday that she “admired Lu’s ability to look at the big picture and her concern about unity within the party.”
Lu’s announcement will increase the chances that a deal on who to nominate can be brokered behind closed-doors before Tsai and Su head into the primaries based entirely on telephone polls.
The party is expected to hold at least two more high-level meetings on the issue before it holds the polls between April 25 and April 29. It is understood that informal polls will be held beforehand that will be provided to the two candidates as a reference.
The DPP currently expects that a presidential candidate will be finalized by May 4, if not sooner, pending discussions between Tsai and Su.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration
RSS