The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to give additional support to its candidates in Yilan County and Kaohsiung ahead of the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections, while it is confident about its prospects in Taoyuan and Hsinchu City, party sources said yesterday.
In the 2014 local elections, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) of the DPP was not considered a viable rival to then-Taoyuan mayor John Wu (吳志揚) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), but he won nonetheless, allowing the DPP to take office in a city long dominated by the pan-blue camp.
The DPP is optimistic about Cheng’s re-election prospects, the sources said, adding that Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) — the nation’s youngest mayor — should likewise be re-elected after beating former Hsinchu mayor Hsu Ming-tsai (許明財) of the KMT in a surprise victory four years ago.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
However, DPP Yilan county commissioner candidate Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) is having difficulty catching up to the KMT’s Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) in the county dubbed “the holy ground of Taiwanese democracy,” the sources said.
The problem is not external factors, but internal issues, campaign workers said, adding that even President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has complained about a lack of unity among party members in the county.
The DPP is working to boost its prospects in Yilan County by asking members to attend to the needs of its 12 townships, the sources said.
For example, Council of Agriculture Minister and former Yilan County commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) would take care of Luodong Township (羅東) — Lin Zi-miao’s stronghold — while Acting Yilan County Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德) is responsible for Suao Township (蘇澳), they said.
Meanwhile, to help DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), whose support rating is at risk of falling behind that of his KMT rival, Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), former Kaohsiung mayor and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) has been visiting the city to campaign, the sources said.
DPP supporters nationwide have been quiet compared with previous elections, the sources said, adding that reigniting passion among the party’s support base remains a challenge.
KMT New Taipei City mayoral candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) has been politicizing the planned Shenao power plant to attack his DPP rival, Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), but the gambit is losing steam, especially after Premier William Lai (賴清德) on Friday announced that the plan might be scrapped if the third liquefied natural gas terminal project passes an environmental impact assessment, the sources said.
While some have said that a scandal at the Transitional Justice Commission involving an alleged plan to target Hou might affect the DPP’s prospects in New Taipei City, the sources said the effect on the elections would be limited.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS