Meeting recruitment goals for legislator-at-large candidates has proved impossible, New Power Party (NPP) officials said yesterday, adding that the party would only nominate five or six at-large candidates, rather than eight as originally planned.
“There were difficulties as we consulted with prospective candidates, with many people unable to get the consent of their families,” NPP Secretary-General Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) said.
Any candidate nominated by the party needs to demonstrate long-term perseverance and experience pushing for reform in their particular field, she said, adding that the party’s main objective was to nominate candidates who could “cover” issues for which its district candidates lacked expertise.
The party is to introduce its final legislative candidates today, including National Taiwan University economics professor Jang Show-ling (鄭秀玲), as well as another possible candidate who has yet to formally accept, she said.
The party yesterday introduced Soochow University political science professor Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), with previously announced candidates including Aboriginal activist Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, renowned theater director Ko I-chen (柯一正), and Hondao Senior Citizens Welfare Foundation chief executive Doris Lin (林依瑩).
Of the candidates currently announced, only Hsu, who also heads the party’s policy working group, is an active party official.
He said at-large candidates would present their policy stances in a series of events this week, including two televised presentations tomorrow and on Thursday, followed by three sessions over the weekend.
Online voting is to begin on Monday next week and continue until Nov. 19, with party officials previously stating that voting would be open to anyone who has formally registered as a “friend of the NPP,” in addition to party members who have paid dues.
Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that permitting party voting for the at-large legislative list rankings was necessary in order to prevent parties from protecting unpopular politicians by placing them high on at-large lists.
Party leaders have actively endorsed Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, urging voters to place her in the party’s top slot.
The coast guard drove away 567 Chinese boats and seized seven illegally operating in Taiwanese waters in the first six months of this year, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. They mostly operated near Kinmen and Penghu counties, resulting in fines totaling NT$1.7 million (US$52,440), it said. Three ships — two near Kinmen County and one near Penghu County — were detained in January for illegally crossing the border, while one ship each was detained near Kinmen in February and Penghu in March respectively, it said. The ship seized near Penghu in January was the Yun Ao (雲澳), detained by the CGA’s
Military photovoltaic projects have been found to have used Chinese-made devices blacklisted by the government, including Huawei Technologies Co routers, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Thursday. An ongoing investigation has identified the illegal use of 128 current transformers, two routers and a data reader at the Hungchailin Army Base, Pinghai Navy Base and Tri-Service General Hospital’s Songshan branch, it said. The devices were manufactured in the Chinese factories of German solar energy equipment supplier SMA Solar Technology, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Delta Electronics Co, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei and Taiwanese industrial PC maker Advantech Co, the bureau said. The bureau’s
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
FLU CONTINUES: Hospitals reported 101,091 visits for flu-like illnesses last week, while 68 severe cases and 16 flu-related deaths were also reported, the CDC said The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported 932 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and 64 related deaths for last week, adding that the number of people who had contracted new SARS-CoV-2 subvariants KP.2 and LB.1 has increased. The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 increased from 815 in the previous week to 932 last week, while 90 percent of the 64 deceased were aged 65 or older, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. JN.1 was still the dominant variant among local and imported cases in the past four weeks, while KP.2 was the second-most common, Lin said. Cases with the LB.1 subvariant