Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday denied a report that he plans to run for mayor of Taoyuan in next year’s local elections.
In a report published on Monday, NOWnews.com cited a source based in Taoyuan as saying that Chiang and his aide KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) in April repeatedly met with Taoyuan city councilors.
Two weeks ago, Chiang told several key local figures at a meeting in Taoyuan that he was considering running for mayor, the report said, citing an anonymous source.
Asked to comment on the report in a radio interview yesterday with Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚), Chiang said that the report was false and accused the reporter of having an ulterior motive.
“As the chairman of the party, it is normal for me to go everywhere,” Chiang said.
He had attended fewer events and meetings in Taoyuan than in other cities and counties, he said.
Asked which candidate he planned to nominate to represent the KMT in the Taoyuan mayoral election next year if he is re-elected KMT chairman, Chiang said that the party would have a nomination procedure approved by the KMT Central Standing Committee.
He declined to say who he thought would be a good candidate for the position.
Chiang was sworn in as KMT chairman on March 9 last year after defeating former KMT vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) in a by-election to replace former KMT chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
Chiang on Feb. 20 announced that he would be seeking re-election in a KMT chairperson election, which was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday last week, but was postponed due to a domestic COVID-19 outbreak.
At a weekly meeting today, which is to be held in-person after weeks of videoconferences due to a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, the KMT Central Standing Committee is expected to discuss arrangements for the postponed election.
Earlier in yesterday’s interview, Chiang said that he would respect the committee’s decision regarding when to hold the election.
Asked which date he would prefer for the election to take place, Chiang said that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the matter before the committee meets today and that he did not want his opinion to influence its decision.
The KMT is to elect not just a new chairperson, but also new delegates to its National Congress, he said, urging the committee to engage in careful discussion and to explain any decision.
Asked whether he thinks former KMT chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) would challenge him for leadership of the party, Chiang said that he did not know, but “anyone can run.”
Chiang also declined to say who he thought might be his strongest opponent in his bid for re-election.
Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), former Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics director-general Wei Po-tao (韋伯韜), former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) have also said they would participate in the chairperson election.
Chu, former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and National Policy Foundation vice chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) are also seen as possible contenders.
Additional reporting by CNA
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS