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Speaker mulling presidential bid

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday hinted at his interest in running for the presidency in 2008.

Wang mentioned the possibility when approached by reporters for comment on a story published by the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday.

The report said Wang had decided to compete in the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) primary for the 2008 presidential election.

It quoted an anonymous source as saying that Wang had recently reduced the number of public events he attended because he had started preparing for his campaign.

"There are many options open to me," Wang said yesterday. "What I am thinking about is what else I can do for the nation and what do people expect from me?"

When asked by reporters whether running for the presidency was one of those choices, Wang did not dismiss the idea but stressed that it was among the possibilities, which also included staying in the legislature.

He said that grassroots supporters were showing increasing support for him running in the primary and that he had also taken their support as a factor in a decision.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday declined to comment.

He stressed that there would be only one pair representing the party in the 2008 presidential election.

"No matter who represents the KMT in the presidential election, we will hold negotiations before the presidential primary," Ma said while meeting with KMT members in Taipei County.

The KMT is scheduled to formally announce the details of its presidential primary via a bulletin on April 2 and announce its presidential candidate on May 25. The candidate will be chosen by means of a public poll and a member vote. The public poll and member vote count for 70 percent and 30 percent respectively.

"The KMT will elect one pair of candidates to run for the presidential election and try to rediscover happiness and social harmony for the people," Ma added.

KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said the party would follow the regulations and elect the candidate with the biggest opportunity of winning the election.

"If there are more than two candidates who express the intention to enter the primary, we will first negotiate with them, and hold a primary if the negotiations don't work out," Wu said yesterday.

Wu declined to comment on the possibility of a "Wang-Ma" or "Ma-Wang" ticket, and echoed Ma's remarks that the situation would be clearer come April.
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