Former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) today announced his candidacy for chairmanship of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
If elected, Cho vowed to focus on the role full-time, forego running for president to act as kingmaker and “win back” the party and the Republic of China.
If there are other party members polling higher than himself, Cho said he would be willing to support their candidacy if they are willing to take on the responsibility of leading the KMT.
Photo: Taipei Times
The party is set to hold an election for new leadership this year, but has not yet set a timeline.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) has not yet stated whether he intended to run for re-election.
In a news conference today, Cho compared Taiwan under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a “frog slowly boiling in water,” highlighting issues around people’s livelihoods, the economy, peace and sustainability.
He called on the DPP to stop the recall movement to allow the government to function normally, to prevent industrial outflows to avoid layoffs, to no longer advocate for Taiwanese independence and to abandon its position against nuclear energy.
The KMT should also conduct an internal review to find out why it can win at the local level, but lose the presidential election, he added.
Cho said he is participating in the KMT chair election to return Taiwan to a middle ground by acting as a check against the DPP, adding that all parts of society should join the effort.
Asked if he had discussed the matter with Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), as media earlier reported she also intends to run in the election, Cho said that he had sent a message to Lu prior to the news conference.
Lu is currently focused on municipal affairs and has not expressed an intent to run in the election, Cho said, adding that the KMT would rally behind whichever candidate is most suited for the role and can bring victory in 2028.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee head Lin Kuan-yu (林寬裕) welcomed Cho’s candidacy, saying it has always been the party’s position to welcome anyone willing to contribute.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
RSS