Owing to the slim likelihood of its own candidates winning, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday said it would refrain from fielding candidates in district legislative elections and instead yield to its pan-green alliance partner, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The TSU and DPP originally planned to work together during the legislative election, nominating candidates from their respective parties. However, after determining its chances of winning the elections would be slim, the TSU decided to yield all candidacies to the DPP and dissuade TSU members from running for legislative seats, TSU Deputy -Secretary--General Liu Yi-teh (劉一德) said.
According to Article 24 of the Election and Recall Act (選舉罷免法), political parties who have garnered 2 percent or more of the vote in the legislative-at-large elections in the last three elections, or political parties who have more than five incumbent legislators, can choose to nominate candidates for legislators-at-large elections and need not nominate ten candidates for district legislative elections.
Since the TSU obtained 3.53 percent of the vote in the last legislative elections, it need not nominate ten district candidates in legislative election to be eligible to nominate candidates for legislators-at-large.
DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) confirmed that talks are being held between DPP -Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and TSU Secretary--General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) on the details of the agreement to work together in the presidential and legislative elections.
Chen said the DPP’s nomination task force has kept the deal with the TSU in mind, as it recently nominated former lawmaker David Huang (黃適卓) for a district in Taoyuan and Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) in Taipei, both from the TSU.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
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DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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