The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would launch an investigation into a legislative primary dispute between KMT legislators John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) after Chiang accused Lo of winning a poll yesterday using smear tactics.
In the poll held by the KMT’s Taipei City branch on Friday and Saturday to finalize the legislative candidate for the Zhongshan (中山)-Songshan (松山) electoral district, Lo barely bested her opponent with 35.97 percent support, against Chiang’s 35.39 percent.
After the final results were announced, Chiang issued a protest and blamed Lo for his loss in the poll, calling on the KMT to look into what he called “vicious attacks” against him from Lo’s camp.
“The smear campaign by the Lo camp is a violation of party regulations and the poll results were distorted because of the vicious attacks against me,” Chiang said in a written statement. “I have reported her violations to the party and await an investigation to be launched.”
Lo defended her victory, saying she would spare no efforts to win the seat for the KMT.
“A victory is a victory, even if it is only by one vote. The KMT needs a candidate who has passion and is capable. I will not disappoint President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the KMT if the party nominates me,” she said.
KMT Taipei City branch director Pan Chia-sen (潘家森) said the branch would start an investigation into the dispute and present the results to the KMT’s nomination committee for a final decision on the matter.
The KMT completed its first round of nominations for legislative election last week. It is scheduled to complete the second and third phases of the nomination process on May 11 and May 25.
Pan said the party would not base its selections solely on poll results and would continue negotiation to finalize the list.
After weeks of speculation on a possible merger of the presidential and legislative elections — a move supported by the KMT — the Central Election Commission last week announced the two elections would be held simultaneously on Jan. 14 next year. Following the announcement, Democratic Progressive Party legislators, fearing the move would create a four-month lame-duck presidency before the next -president steps into the -Presidential Office on May 20, proposed a constitutional amendment and said the merger should be postponed until the 2016 elections.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS