Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) was in high demand yesterday after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors in Taipei City and Taipei County said they wanted him to run for mayor in their cities in December's municipal elections.
Fueling rumors that he has already made a decision between the two cities, Su told reporters that he had originally hoped to have a meeting with DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, only to be told that she was in Hualien County.
DPP officials refused to comment on whether Su had made up his mind, saying only that the party's nomination process would be followed and that it would choose the best possible candidates to represent the party.
However, in a press conference yesterday, DPP Taipei County councilors told reporters that they hoped Su, who served two terms as county commissioner, would consider “coming back.”
Taipei County DPP caucus whip Lee Yo-cheen (李友親) said that if Su chose to run in Sinbei City — as Taipei County will be known after it is upgraded into a special municipality — it would increase the number of DPP councilors elected.
“It makes more sense for Su to join our county's election ... He is more familiar with this place,” Lee said, before adding that the caucus would support Su regardless of which decision he made.
Meanwhile, DPP councilors in Taipei City released the results of an internal party poll that showed 84 percent of the 1,783 party members surveyed thought that Su was best suited to represent the party in Taipei in December. Eleven percent of respondents supported Tsai.
In the Sinbei City elections, on the other hand, the poll showed support for Su at 51.7 percent, while support for former premier Yu Shyi-kun was at 17.6 percent.
Releasing the results, Taipei chapter director Huang Ching-lin (黃慶林) said the poll was an accurate reflection of what party members wanted and called for Su to run in Taipei and Yu in Sinbei.
Su has so far refused to comment on any possible mayoral bids.
Tsai told reporters on Sunday that Su had been under heavy pressure and asked the public to give him more time.
Meanwhile, another former DPP Taipei County commissioner, You Ching (尤清), announced his intention to run in the Sinbei City elections yesterday. In a letter delivered to Tsai, You said he hoped to run on the DPP ticket and called party headquarters to follow a democratic nomination procedure.
You served as commissioner from 1989 to 1997.
At a different setting yesterday, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said she did not have any preference for the party’s candidates, but emphasized that they must have a close relationship with the constituencies they will be running.
She urged Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to refrain from provoking ethnic tensions by highlighting the conflict between the pan-blue and pan-green camps. Lu was referring to a comment Hau made on Sunday when he said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has its “double-play tactics” to counter the DPP’s “magical strategy” for winning the two cities of Taipei and Sinbei.
Lu urged the DPP to look at the municipal elections from a broader angle than merely the number of seats it could win as the five special municipalities make up 60 percent of the total population.
In response to the continued speculation about Su, Hau yesterday called on him to explain to Taipei residents whether he was sincere in serving the capital city amid speculation that Su has his eye on the presidential election in 2012 and might quit halfway through his term if elected Taipei mayor.
Hau has expressed his intention to seek re-election.
Hau said several polls have placed his approval rating on a par with that of Su, but the most important poll will be in December. He said as the municipal elections will set the tone for the presidential election in 2012, the KMT cannot afford to lose.
The KMT is set to discuss the nomination mechanism during its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting tomorrow.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) is planning to meet KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) on Thursday and is expected to announce his election bid.
In Sinbei City, Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) has announced that he would not stand in the election and threw his backing behind Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Hau said he would keep close contacts with Chu and Hu and work together during the campaign.
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