The results of the Nov. 27 special municipality elections could deal a blow to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait policies, the head election coordinator for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The polls, which will be held in the nation’s five most populous municipalities, “could be interpreted in a way that pits pro-China policies against policies that protect Taiwan,” former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) told a media briefing.
Yu suggested that the effectiveness of the two agendas could be easily influenced by whether voters choose DPP candidates or Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates later this month.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Voters in the five special municipality elections represent 60 percent of the total population and the five most economically developed areas, including Taipei City. The elections are seen as an important precursor to the legislative elections next year and the presidential election in 2012.
Calling the poll a “midterm test” for the president, Yu said: “We will likely see a reshuffle across the pan-blue and pan-green political landscapes” following the results.
In terms of the opposition party’s definition of winning the tightly fought race, Yu was evasive, reminding the public that Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) lost his re-election bid for Taipei mayor in 1998 to Ma, despite securing more votes than in 1994. Chen went on to win the presidency in 2000.
During the same poll in 1998, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) narrowly beat current Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) in Kaohsiung.
It was an example of a tie, he said, adding that the improved performance did not necessarily translate into an increase in the number of seats.
The DPP could either “win, lose or even tie” the coming election race, he said.
His comments were likely made to downplay earlier remarks made by DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), who said that DPP Chairperson and Sinbei City mayoral candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would have to step down in the event of an electoral defeat according to DPP tradition.
Meanwhile, Yu said DPP candidates would focus on consolidating votes in areas and population segments that have historically voted for the DPP during the final 24 days of their campaigns.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
RSS