The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) expects 100,000 fewer voters for its chairmanship by-election on March 7 than in 2017, a party source said.
Today is the deadline for party members to pay their dues, allowing them eligibility to vote in the election, and the source said that the party expects only 310,000 members would be eligible to vote.
About 190,000 eligible voters are exempt from paying party dues, either because they became a senior member after 40 years or are from a middle or low-income household and at least 65 years old, the source said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
That figure excludes more than 10,000 people who became lifetime members after paying a one-time NT$10,000 fee, the source added.
Party members from the KMT’s influential Huang Fu-hsing chapter account for about 80,000 — more than 20 percent — of the eligible voters, the source said.
The chapter is known for its ability to mobilize members during elections, and anticipates a 60 to 70 percent turnout among its members, the source said, adding that this, coupled with concerns that fear over COVID-19 might affect overall turnout, could make the chapter a determining factor in the by-election.
The number of party members who have paid their dues has increased markedly in Changhua and Pingtung counties, as well as in Kaohsiung and New Taipei City, sources said.
In Changhua, about 7,000 members paid their dues, which could have been a result of mobilization by local factions backing the two candidates: former KMT vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), they said.
Another source said that the spike in Changhua members paying dues was not surprising, as it has more KMT executives and members than other regions.
As of yesterday, party dues owed were mostly paid individually or by households of two or three members rather than in a lump sum by dozens of members, the source said.
Even if Chiang’s and Hau’s supporters had mobilized factions to secure voting rights, that would not have been surprising, the source added.
The KMT said that it would start compiling a roster of eligible voters from tomorrow to Wednesday before publishing it for public viewing, and eligible voters would receive a notice informing them of the by-election.
The by-election is to fill the vacancy left by former KMT chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who stepped down last month after the party’s losses in the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections.
‘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
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS