Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday gave the strongest hint yet about a possible re-election bid, paving the way for a potential three-way race in the party’s chairmanship election in May.
Su, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are all expected to enter the race, but so far only Hsieh has publicly announced his bid.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Yunlin Agriculture Expo in Yunlin County yesterday, Su said he would not be responsible for the seven-in-one elections in November as party chairman, but “I should be given an opportunity to fight for victory.”
Asked by reporters about the meaning of “opportunity” and if it meant that he would be seeking a second term in the chairmanship election, Su said: “Was I not being clear enough?”
Tsai, who is widely seen as the favorite to win the election, has reiterated that she is still weighing her decision.
“It’s only natural for an incumbent chairman to seek re-election,” Hsieh said yesterday, adding that the potentially intense election could provide a platform for the public and party members to examine candidates’ vision for the party and the country.
The DPP officially nominated a pair of candidates for the mayoral and commissioner elections — deputy secretary-general Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) in Keelung City and former legislator Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) in Penghu County — at the Central Executive Committee meeting in Yunlin County yesterday.
Lin ran in Keelung in the mayoral election in 2009 and the legislative election in 2012, both times losing to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate, while Chen also ran and lost in the Penghu commissioner election in 2005.
The DPP has completed nominations in 12 of 22 constituencies in the mayoral and commissioner elections.
Meanwhile, Su has invited all five aspirants in the party’s primary for the Taipei mayoral election to a meeting in the city tomorrow to resolve escalating disputes about the party’s possible “integration” with independent candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who has been leading all the pan-green camp hopefuls in support ratings and appears to have a good chance of winning the capital.
Wellington Koo (顧立雄), one of the five DPP aspirants, initiated a three-step proposal on Tuesday, calling for the DPP to complete its primary, which would be conducted in the form of a public opinion poll, by the end of next month, and organize three debates between the DPP primary winner and specific independent candidates before the final stage of another public opinion poll to determine the pan-green camp’s candidate.
However, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), also one of the DPP contenders, opposed the initiative, saying that the party should abide by its regulations and nominate its own candidate, as “the rules of the game” should not be swayed by one person.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party