President Chen Shui-bian (
The arrangement was made after Hsieh, the incumbent seeking re-election, extended the invitation to the ex-president after their meeting in Kaohsiung on Sunday.
The party wants to make use of Lee's popularity in the region to help beef up Hsieh's reportedly declining public support.
Hsieh, the forerunner for months, is experiencing a tough time in the final moments of the campaign after PFP chairman James Soong (
According to Michael You (游盈隆), the DPP's deputy secretary general, Hsieh is still leading the polls by around 10 percent, but the lead is narrowing after the pan-blue camp threw its support behind one candidate.
But a survey conducted by the DPP was the only one that indicated Hsieh was still the forerunner. Other polls done by the TVBS news channel and two Chinese-language newspapers all showed that Huang has slight lead.
In contrast to Hsieh's situation, Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), the DPP's candidate for Taipei mayor, is facing an even tougher battle in Taipei as incumbent Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) popularity remains high.
The DPP is poised to make a last-ditch effort to campaign for Lee as Chen, first lady Wu Shu-chen (
Chen is expected to stump for Lee Ying-yuan on Thursday and Friday, whereas Wu will campaign for him on Friday.
Lee Ying-yuan said he still would still welcome Lee Teng-hui to stump for him, regardless of a warning by Fan Chen-tsung (范振宗), the head of the Council of Agriculture, who left his position yesterday.
Fan said that Lee Ying-yuan should not invite the ex-president to stump for him because it might have a negative impact on the candidate's showing.
The former president stumped for Lee Ying-yuan for the first time on Saturday, which drew a rally of approximately 10,000 supporters.
But insiders in the DPP admitted that the appearance of Lee Teng-hui did little to help Lee's sluggish popularity.
Initially Fan had arranged to stump for Lee Ying-yuan today, but the plan was dropped after he made the statements.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from