TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The New Power Party (NPP) will hold hundreds of street-side talks in the run-up to Taiwan’s January election, party chair Claire Wang (王婉諭) said on Wednesday (Dec. 13).
Wang said her party grew out of the Sunflower Movement, itself a street-level movement, and said the street-side talks will be in line with the party’s commitment to local progressive values and reform, per UDN. She said that although Taiwan’s international position has advanced under the previous eight years of Democratic Progressive Party rule, Taiwan is still plagued by economic inequality.
Wang said that salaries in Taiwan are low and house prices are high, and claimed this was occurring as corrupt political actors made large personal gains. Party spokesperson Yu Chia-tang (余佳蒨) echoed Wang’s thoughts and said Taiwan’s long working hours and poor labor rights contribute to the problem.
A recent poll showed approximately 3% of those surveyed would give their party vote to the NPP in the coming election. In addition to its eight listed candidates, the NPP is standing three candidates in different constituencies in Hsinchu and Taoyuan. The party is not running for the presidency.
