The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) acting chairman Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday said that the DPP rank-and-file will elect a new chairman before Feb. 1.
Ker, who is also the DPP's legislative caucus whip, furthermore said that a number of the general budget bills for next year have not been passed yet and therefore the Cabinet reshuffle will not be initiated until January, since many incumbent governmental officials have to deal with the bills.
Ker also said that the DPP will come up with the details of the chairmanship election in its central executive committee meeting next Tuesday. A new chairman is expected to be announced before the Cabinet's reorganization on Feb. 1.
A DPP Central Standing Committee member, Chou Ching-yu (周清玉), who failed in her legislative re-election bid, has announced that she will campaign for the chairman's position. DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮), who is said to also be contending for the chairmanship, yesterday dismissed this news as "rumor."
The DPP did not discuss the new chairman's required qualifications in its last national convention on Sept. 26, but the convention reached a conclusion that a new chairman will be elected by its grassroots party members when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) stepped down from the position. Because of this, Ker said that he was worried that many unqualified candidates would join in the elections.
"There will be many elections in the next two years and the new chairman has to undertake the task of campaigning for our candidates as well as consolidate the DPP," Ker said.
"Therefore, the new chairman has to have a good reputation among our supporters," he said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who has been touted by the local media as one of the prospective candidates for the premiership, yesterday said that he supported Chen's resignation, saying that it was done according to the DPP's tradition and culture.
"I think the president's resignation as DPP chairman demonstrates his sense of responsibility," Hsieh said.
"The president has also made up his mind to become a mediator and his resignation would help him to remain detached and objective in such a role," he said.
Hsieh said that he believed the DPP's organizational system has become mature enough to allow the president to not lead the party any longer.
Commenting on the DPP's failure to win a legislative majority on Saturday, Hsieh said that the DPP did not actually lose, as the party obtained more votes and seats than in the previous legislative elections.
Hsieh said that, compared with the other parties, the DPP was the only one that performed better in these elections than in the 2001 elections.
"The DPP just failed to achieve the goal it had set itself, which, realistically, was too high to attain," Hsieh said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS