The violence at the pan-blue rally on April 10 has caused the approval ratings of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
According to the poll, Lien's approval rating has dropped to 28 percent from the 40 percent recorded prior to the pan-blue rally on March 27, while Soong's approval rating has dropped to 27 percent, from 38 percent recorded before March 27.
On the other hand, President Chen Shui-bian's (
The poll was conducted by telephone among 1,000 respondents.
The poll results also showed that 57 percent of respondents disapproved of a possible pan-blue rally on May 19.
As to the approval ratings of political parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) scored the highest approval rating at 39 percent, followed by the 37 percent of the KMT and 25 percent of the PFP.
On the question of whether Lien should take responsibility for the pan-blue camp's failure to win the presidential election and resign as chairman of the KMT, respondents had different views. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said that Lien should give up his chairmanship, with 21 percent saying that he does not necessarily have to step down.
A further 14 percent said that Lien should not be held responsible for the pan-blue camp's failure to win the presidential election.
As to the question of whether the KMT should go through a transfer of leadership from the older leaders to younger ones, where the young refers to Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and KMT Deputy Chairman and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), 50 percent of respondents was in favor of this idea while 14 percent opposed it.
On the question of whether the KMT and PFP should merge into one single political party, 20 percent of respondents agreed while 16 percent felt that it was a feasible idea, whereas 22 percent were not in favor of the idea.
On the question of which party's legislative candidates respondents would vote for, 47 percent of respondents were undecided and said that they would have to see which candidates would be available in their districts.
Among respondents who have already made up their minds, 10 percent said they would vote for DPP candidates, 12 percent for KMT candidates, 5 percent for PFP candidates and 1 percent for Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) candidates.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS