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.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS