Taiwan

Ma Ying-jeou to seek second term

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-23 20:32

TAIPEI - Taiwan's incumbent leader Ma Ying-jeou on Saturday finished a registration to become the ruling Kuomintang' s (KMT) nomination for the 2012 Taiwan leader election.

Also chairman of the KMT, Ma said he sought to be re-elected, and in the second four-year tenure he would push forward policies that his administration is now promoting.

He said that since he took office the cross-Straits relations had been greatly improved, and economic ties in particular had been put under rules, which allows Taiwan to have exchanges with the mainland in a peaceful environment.

Since there has been no other candidates applying for the KMT' s nomination, the KMT's Central Standing Committee will announce the party' s nomination of Ma on May 4 at the earliest. The KMT' s general congress will approve the nomination of Ma and his running mate at June 25.

Taiwan authorities announced on Tuesday that elections for the region' s leader and legislative body, scheduled for the end of this year and early next year, will be combined.