The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday named DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee (軝鵙錂) as its candidate in December＊s election for Tainan County commissioner.
The party＊s Central Executive Committee approved Lee＊s nomination in a meeting yesterday afternoon, noting his experience as a five-term legislator and ※close relations with local voters.§
Upon learning of the party headquarters＊ decision, former minister of foreign affairs and Presidential Office secretary-general Mark Chen (蠊衄舝), who had previously said he would run whether he was nominated by the party or not, later yesterday said that he would enter the race, but would not withdraw from the party.
Polls conducted by media outlets and informal polls by local party chapters in the county showed Chen to be the preferred candidate. However, poll results were not taken into account when the DPP headquarters chose its candidate.
The nomination process and system was flawed, Chen said, adding that he wanted to abolish the system and factional influences in the party by entering the election. Chen, who has served two terms as Tainan County commissioner, added that he wanted to protect the party＊s reputation.
※The party will continue to negotiate. I believe the worst-case scenario will not happen,§ DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (齍褙湞) said at a press conference when asked to comment on Chen＊s campaign and a potential split in the Tainan County vote. ※Chen is a gentleman. We know he has deep feelings for the party.§
※I want to say thank you to Chen. I believe the new generation of DPP members in Tainan County can protect the base that older party members have established,§ she added.
Tsai traveled to Tainan County on Tuesday night to negotiate with Chen, but failed to persuade him to quit.
Tsai said the party had to unite and could not afford to have two candidates splitting the party＊s vote.
At a separate setting yesterday, Lee said: ※I promise the party and Tainan County residents that I will govern the county well if elected.§
※There will be no split in Tainan,§ he added.
DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (蝔錥藸), who had expressed a desire to run for the position, said in a statement: ※I respect the party＊s decision.§
Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday announced nine candidates for the year-end county and city government elections, and said it planned to complete the nomination process by June.
Six of the nine candidates, including Chiayi Mayor Huang Ming-hui (?睌?), Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong (翴蠯蝝), Ilan County Commissioner Lu Guo-hua (涬玿?), Miaoli County 〝Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (衒旛?), Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (瓕詍篧) and Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (軝蟭昑), were nominated by the KMT to seek re-election, KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (趠堐錩) said at the party headquarters.
Candidates for another three city and county elections were Hsinchu City Department of Labor Director Hsu Ming-tsai (�?]) for Hsinchu City, KMT Legislator Wong Chung-chun (頨儵郱) for 〝Chiayi County and KMT Legislator Chung Shao-ho (韗慓?) for Kao-hsiung County.
Wu said the party would finalize its candidate for Tainan County no later than June 14. The KMT would have a chance of winning Tainan County, which has been under DPP control for 16 years, if the pan-green camp remained split, the secretary-general said.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-〝hsiung (趠詍磡) yesterday urged party members to take the party＊s defeat in the Miaoli by-election and the unimpressive victory in Taipei＊s Da-an by-election as warnings to work harder for the year-end elections.
Amid recent disputes over Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei＊s (騍鉊縜) low approval ratings, Wu Den-yi later repeated that he was not the one who revealed the results.
The United Daily News reported that a high-level KMT official revealed the rating results, and said the party planned not to nominate Chou after the poll suggested that his approval ratings were far behind those of former Taipei County commissioner Su Tseng-chang (憀濼鵽) of the DPP.
Wu Den-yi urged the newspaper to clarify the matter on his behalf.
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