Amid cutthroat competition in the year-end legislative elections, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has set a goal of securing 123 seats in the 225-seat Legislative Yuan, together with its strategic partner, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
The target was hammered out at the first meeting of the party's legislative campaign strategy group, which was established on Tuesday.
DPP legislative caucus whip Tsai Huang-lang (
"The DPP will have absolutely no problem in securing half of the total legislative seats," Tsai said yesterday. Such comments were a noticeable change in the party's tone, as it had previously said that it would seek to exceed half of the total legislative seats with the help of the TSU.
Tsai said the DPP alone would be able to garner 113 seats out of the 123 combined pan-green seats. However, he added that the party also hoped the TSU could work on its own to achieve the largest number of seats possible to expand the pan-green camp's "foundation" in the legislature.
TSU legislative caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (
Chen said the party will focus its campaign theme on expanding public support for Taiwanese identity and raising people's identification with Taiwan.
The party will position itself as a loyal coalition-member, while retaining its independent characterisitics, Chen said.
At present, the TSU holds 12 seats and the DPP 87, compared to 66 for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), 46 for the People First Party (PFP) and 12 independents, most of whom vote with the KMT-PFP alliance.
Chen said that in addition to the party's 12 incumbent law-makers who would seek re-election, the party also welcomes lawmakers from within the KMT's "localization faction" to join the TSU.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (
Chiou, the leader of the party's New Tide faction and the top campaign strategist during the presidential poll, said there are three possibilities for how the DPP would convert pan-blue support to the DPP.
First, he said a major structural shift would occur when the KMT's grassroots politicians convert to the DPP, including elected officials and their respective supporters.
Second, the DPP would seek cooperation with KMT grass-roots supporters and encourage them to choose among themselves a pro-DPP leader to run the election.
Third, the party would convert KMT grassroots supporters into supporters of the DPP and its legislators.
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