The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday unveiled the campaign commercial for its Greater Kaohsiung mayoral candidate amid concerns over a shift in campaign strategy after a former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight joined the election.
KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) dismissed speculation from local members that the party could form an alliance with Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), who resigned from the DPP on Monday to run as an independent, if its own candidate, Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), continued to trail in the polls.
“There's only one Kaohsiung mayoral candidate, which is Huang Chao-shun ... The KMT will give its full support to her and help her win the election,” King said at KMT headquarters. “Please do not underestimate the KMT's determination and Huang's strength.”
Yang on Monday announced his bid to join the election as an independent, after losing the DPP primary in May to Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊).
A poll released by the DPP yesterday showed that Chen would win the Kaohsiung election with 53.7 percent of the vote, against 22.6 percent for Yang and 15.3 percent for Huang.
King, who said the KMT had nothing to do with Yang's decision to join the Kaohsiung race, lauded Yang for voicing his support for the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed with Beijing in June.
“The majority of Taiwanese trust that the nation will benefit from the ECFA. Yang's support of the trade pact is practical,” he said.
Prior to resigning from the DPP, Yang had strongly opposed the controversial agreement.
King also rejected DPP comments blaming the party split on the KMT, and said DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should stop “attacking” Yang.
“I disagree with Chairperson Tsai's attacks on her own [former party] member and the KMT candidate. It’s not positive for competition and not what we’re hoping the elections would be like,” he said.
Separately, KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) called on Tsai to show respect for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) as the national leader, referring to Tsai's response to Ma's criticism of the DPP.
“Tsai can comment on the criticism President Ma made of the DPP during the KMT convention, but she should not have described the president as a ‘hitman’ for the KMT,” Su said.
At the KMT party convention on Saturday and Sunday, Ma accused the former DPP government of corruption and “damaging Taiwan.”
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