The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced its candidates for nine cities and counties governed by DPP members, with the party opting to nominate all nine mayors and commissioners for re-election.
The nine incumbents are: Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷), Yunlin County Commissioner Lee Chin-yung (李進勇), Chiayi Mayor Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復).
“Taiwan deserves recognition and improvement. Our [DPP] mayors and commissioners, as well as the [DPP] government and legislative caucus, are a united team,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“The nomination today is just a start. We will form the best campaign team to improve Taiwan and create happiness,” Tsai said.
The nomination did not come as much of a surprise, although there was speculation that a couple of candidates — notably Twu, whose approval rating is low — might be replaced.
Reports said the party tried to persuade Twu to give up his candidacy to make way for DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋), but failed.
“The speculation and opposition against [my candidacy] suggest that I am the most competitive,” Twu said.
He added that his approval rating has rallied and should continue to climb as his nomination should quell the conflict within the DPP and ensure a coordinated campaign effort.
Doubts have also been cast on the re-election bid of Lee Chin-yung due to a rift with DPP Legislator Su Chih-feng (蘇治芬), a former Yunlin County commissioner who has considerable local influence.
Su on Monday wrote on Facebook that she would keep Lee Chin-yung at a distance and that their relationship soured immediately after he was sworn in three years ago.
Lee Chin-yung said he would talk to Su about the disagreement, while assuring that Su would assist the party in the election.
Lee Chin-yung vowed to develop public long-term care services and seek central government funding to help older people and the county, while continuing to carry out existing agricultural and “green” energy policies.
The DPP also plans to announce its nominees for four other DPP-governed municipalities: Tainan, Kaohsiung, Yilan and Chiayi County, where competition for the nomination is the most acute.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by