Most of the incumbent Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee members retained their seats yesterday as the party elected 33 members of its highest decision-making body amid bribery accusations.
Only one of the two candidates from "Ma's troop" -- KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) top aides and supporters -- won a seat in the body.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴世葆) was re-elected to the committee, while KMT Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅) lost the election. Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) did not join the election.
Former minister of economic affairs Wang Chih-kang (王志剛), a close aide of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), did not seek reelection.
A total of 43 candidates ran in the election, with 1,536 party delegates casting their votes around the country.
Incumbent members including Lien Sheng-wen (連勝文), the son of former chairman Lien Chan (連戰), Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), the son of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), were re-elected.
Although the turnout rate was reported to be close to 70 percent, allegations of bribery clouded the election, including Liao Wan-lung (廖萬隆), who was accused of sending out free pearl necklaces to party delegates. Liao was voted in yesterday.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) denied the rumors of bribery, but admitted that blackmail targeting at certain candidate had been used during the election.
"I didn't see any candidates sending out gifts or hosting banquets, but there was blackmail. The party will make greater efforts to prevent such things from happening again," Wu said.
Responding to accusations, Liao said the pearl necklaces were Mothers' Day presents to the mothers of party delegates and had nothing to do with the elections.
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
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS