Hsieh still coy as Taipei mayoral deadline passes

Intervention from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters meant that no one has registered for the party's primary for the Taipei mayoral election by the cut-off date yesterday.

The result left room for the party to ask former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who has remained non-committal on a bid, to represent the party in the year-end contest.

"Our goal is to win the Taipei mayoral election and therefore we will call up the best person to run in the election," DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun told a press conference after the deadline passed yesterday.

Former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), who was encouraged to drop out of the race, abandoned his bid at the last minute after having private talks with Yu. Yu then applauded him for taking the party's needs into account, though Shen expressed dissatisfaction with the process at a press conference last night.

But DPP Legislator You Ching (尤清) surprised party officials when he suddenly showed up to register one hour before deadline.

You's application was rejected because he didn't prepare the correct documents, according to according to Huang Ching-lin (黃慶林), director of the DPP's Taipei City chapter.

DPP heavyweights including Yu and legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) made urgent calls to You and asked him to give up his bid even as he was in the building.

As for the Kaohsiung City race, former Council of Labor Affairs minister Chen Chu (陳菊) and Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) have registered for the primary.

Although Acting Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), the party's preferred candidate, did not register yesterday, Ker said the party could still choose from one of the three to represent it in the year-end campaign.

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Editorial: Taipei will get the mayor it deserves