The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday announced that it would not nominate a candidate for next year’s presidential election.
The decision was reached by the party’s decisionmaking committee at a meeting earlier yesterday, NPP Secretary-General Wu Pei-yun (吳佩芸) told a news conference at party headquarters.
In the meeting, the committee also decided that the party’s priority in the upcoming general elections would be to maximize its legislative seats and to create a legislature that truly represents the public’s voice, she said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Last week, the party issued a statement that it is drafting presidential nomination regulations and that it would prioritize enlisting NPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) for the election.
The statement drew strong criticism from a number of decisionmaking committee members, who accused party headquarters of ignoring them in the decisionmaking process.
One of the committee members, Miaoli County Councilor Tseng Wen-hsueh (曾玟學), said that whether the party nominates a presidential candidate should first be discussed by the committee.
Meanwhile, Huang denied having any interest in running for president next year.
Asked to explain the shift from considering drafting Huang to not nominating any presidential candidate, Wu yesterday said that the NPP must be responsible to its supporters.
In the 2016 general elections, the NPP received 740,000, or 6.1 percent, of party votes, earning it the option of nominating its own candidate in the next presidential election, she said.
The votes meant that voters placed great hopes on the NPP, which must respond to such expectations, she added.
Asked who the NPP would support in the presidential election, Wu said that the party would discuss the issue at its national convention.
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
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious