The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday threatened to take the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to court if it nominates Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-cheng (鄺麗貞) for a legislative by-election next year, saying she may have made a “backroom deal” to run in the race.
Kuang registered for the Taitung legislative by-election yesterday amid claims by the DPP that it was a trade-off for her promise not to seek re-election.
KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) said Kuang would still need to go through a primary to become the party’s nominee even if she is the only candidate to register. Her approval rating must exceed 30 percent to win the nomination, he said.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Yesterday, Kuang and another KMT member, Chen Yun-ping (陳允萍), picked up registration forms for the by-election. However, Chen was apparently ineligible to register because she resumed her party membership less than four months ago, prompting speculation that her interest in the position is just show.
“It was an obvious orchestrated trade-off — asking someone who is ineligible to run to pick up a form. Since Chen is ineligible, Kuang will be the sole candidate,” DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said, accusing the KMT of violating Article 97 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選罷法), which states that candidates or likely candidates found guilty of withdrawing from a race because of bribery or other illegal factors face a three to 10-year jail term.
“We are watching to see whether the KMT will nominate her,” DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told a press conference.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) urged the Taitung Prosecutors’ Office to investigate whether a deal was struck between the KMT, Kuang and KMT Legislator Justin Huang (黃健庭).
Kuang made headlines in July last year when she came under fire for being on a trip to Europe when a typhoon hit her county. The criticism intensified as details emerged of the trip and other trips she took with government funding.
The 46-year-old made the news again recently when she dropped her re-election bid, making way for Huang to run for the post and making a by-election necessary to fill his seat in the legislature. Huang resigned as legislator last month.
The KMT has rebutted speculation of a deal, but KMT caucus secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) called the timing of Kuang’s registration in the race “strange.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND KO SHU-LING
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
RSS