Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) last night conceded defeat in the presidential election after losing to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai (賴清德) by a margin of about 7 percent.
“I let everyone down for failing to deliver the change of government as expected, and I am deeply sorry,” Hou told supporters participating in the election-night rally.
“I respect the final choice of the voters. This is a democratic election, which means that the voters decide the election’s outcome. We need to face the voters and listen to them. We should move forward based on voters’ expectations,” Hou told rally participants.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
“I would like to congratulate Vice President Lai and his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), with winning the election. I also hope that they would not disappoint Taiwanese... They should have Taiwanese in mind and listen to them. We had a competitive race, but the most important thing is that all political parties should unite Taiwanese after the election in face of all possible challenges in the future. The last thing we need is a divided Taiwan,” he said.
Hou encouraged supporters to turn anger and frustration into power to oversee the DPP government, saying this is the way to move Taiwan forward and defend the nation.
“We will not disappear. Instead, we should become stronger, grow further and move forward. This is the attitude of Taiwanese,” Hou said. “I will roll up my sleeves and work tomorrow, so I would not disappoint people’s support for me.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
A New Taipei City resident surnamed Hsu (許), who voted for Hou and his vice presidential candidate, Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), told the Taipei Times she was disappointed about the result, but that she was even more disappointed in Taiwan’s young people, as many of them voted for Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) following the breakdown of plans to form a “blue-white” KMT-TPP alliance last year.
“After what happened in the Nov. 23 meeting between KMT and TPP leaders, people can see that Ko is dishonest and cannot be trusted. He can change his political opinions just like that, and yet he could still garner a sizeable share of the popular vote this time. I am just speechless,” Hsu said.
Although the TPP and KMT at first agreed to cooperate in the legislature, the two parties eventually parted ways after failing to agree whether Hou or Ko should be the presidential candidate.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
Hsu said that Hou was outperformed by Lai, even in New Taipei City, where Hou has served as mayor for five years and as deputy mayor for eight years.
“It was like what happened to former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who ran for president soon after he was elected mayor. Hou did pretty well as New Taipei City mayor and was even re-elected in 2022, but people probably thought he was no different from other politicians, who went ahead to pursue a higher office after they were re-elected in local elections,” Hsu said.
However, Hsu said, the KMT performed well in the legislative elections and even flipped a few seats previously held by DPP legislators, adding that she hoped the party would be a check and balance on the power of the DPP government.
The turnout rate for the presidential race was 71.86 percent, Central Election Commission data showed.
The KMT lost in the three-way presidential race in 2020, capturing 38.61 percent of the votes. Prior to that, the party lost in the three-way presidential race in 2000, garnering only 23.1 percent of the votes.
‘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 High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and