President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday was officially nominated by his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as its presidential candidate.
In his acceptance speech Chen said he would persist with reforms aimed at the normalization of Taiwan's democracy.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen proposed a three-stage plan to accomplish this.
"First, I will seek to normalize cross-strait relations and political competition after March 20 next year; second, to terminate the existing legislative chaos after the [December] 2004 Legislative Election in order to balance legislative and administrative powers; and third, to push for a new constitution in 2006 to turn Taiwan into a "normal, complete and great democratic country," Chen said.
Heading a presidential campaign under the slogan of "Believe in Taiwan, persist with reforms," Chen said the coming campaign would decide whether Taiwan could stick to its course as an independent state separate from China and whether it could further democratic reforms, or face the comeback of the corrupt and authoritarian regime of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Chen is expected to announce Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) as his running mate this afternoon at the DPP's Taipei headquarters.
Meanwhile, five major party figures are ready to assume roles in managing Chen's campaign. Premier Yu Shyi-kun is to become director general of the campaign headquarters, DPP Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will head the party's campaign affairs department, Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) will be campaign director in southern Taiwan, Taipei County Commissioner Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌) would direct campaign management in northern Taiwan, and Presidential Secretary General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) will be the executive director of the campaign team.
On the economic front, Chen promised to make Taiwan's economic growth rate increase to 5 percent next year, reduce the unemployment rate to 4 percent by 2005 and expand the overall industrial R&D budget to more than 3 percent of the GDP.
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