Six pairs of presidential election candidates fielded by independents and small political parties completed their registration with the Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday, the last day for presidential candidacy registration.
They are independent Lee -Hsing-chang (李幸長) and his running mate Wu Wu-ming (吳武明), People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and his running mate, Lin Ruey-shiung (林瑞雄), the Taiwanese National Party’s Chuang Mung-hsieh (莊孟學) and his running mate, Huang Guohua (黃國華), People United Party Chairperson Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑) and her running mate, Wu Chia-li (吳嘉琍), independent Kao Kuo-ching (高國慶) and his running mate, Teng Hsiu-pao (鄧秀寶), and independent Lin Ching-ying (林金瑛) and running mate Shih Hsiang-ching (石翊靖). According to CEC regulations, an endorsement process is required for presidential aspirants unless they represent a political party that won at least 5 percent of the vote in the last presidential or legislative election.
Independents must collect signatures from at least 1.5 percent of eligible voters, or 257,695 signatures, within 45 days after the launch of the public endorsement period on Sept. 22.
As of now, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is seeking re-election as member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are the only full-fledged candidates.
On Sept. 13, independent presidential aspirant Ellen Huang (黃越綏) announced her decision to drop out of January’s presidential election.
Saying that she would have to pay a NT$1 million (US$33,900) registration fee to the CEC to become a presidential candidate through signature collection and a subsequent fee of NT$15 million to formally register, the 64-year-old social activist said: “It is more significant to buy 20,000 lunch boxes for the underprivileged than to hand NT$1 million to the CEC.”
She also said that she would never have been able to obtain the signatures needed to enter as an independent presidential candidate.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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